Prevalence of Depression Among Infertile Couples in Iran: A Meta-Analysis Study.

Prevalence of Depression among Infertile Couples in Iran: A Meta-Analysis Study.

Iran J Public Health. 2013; 42(5): 458-466
Masoumi SZ, Poorolajal J, Keramat A, Moosavi SA

Several studies have been conducted in Iran in order to investigate the prevalence of depression among infertile couples. However, there is a remarkable diversity among the results. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate an overall prevalence rate of depression among infertile couples in Iran.International and national electronic databases were searched up to June 2011 including MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded, Scopus, SID, MagIran, and IranMedex as well as conference databases. Furthermore, reference lists of articles were screened and the studies’ authors were contacted for additional references. Cross-sectional studies addressing the prevalence of depression among infertile couples were included in this meta-analysis. We assessed 12 separate studies involving overall 2818 participants of which 1251 had depression.Overall prevalence rate of depression among infertile couples was 0.47 (95% CI: 0.40, 0.55). The prevalence rate of depression was 0.44 (95% CI: 0.32, 0.56) during 2000 to 2005 and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.57 during 2006 to 2011. The prevalence rate of depression was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.53) among women and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.40, 0.54) among men.Not only the prevalence of depression in infertile couples was high but also had increasing growth in recent years. Furthermore, despite many studies conducted addressing the prevalence of depression in infertile couples, there is however a remarkable diversity between the results. Thus, one can hardly give a precise estimation of the prevalence rate of depression among infertile couples in Iran now. HubMed – depression

Depression in adults with congenital heart disease-public health challenge in a rapidly expanding new patient population.

World J Cardiol. 2013 Jun 26; 5(6): 186-195
Pauliks LB

There is a growing population of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) due to improved survival beyond childhood. It has been suggested that adults with CHD may be at increased risk for mental health problems, particularly depression. The reported incidence of depression in CHD varies from 9% to 30%. This review examines the evidence for a higher depression rate in CHD vs general population. Possible explanations are offered from a variety of disease models, ranging from brain injury to the psychoanalytical approach. Risk factors for an abnormal emotional adjustment and depression include early exposure to stress from illness and medical interventions in infancy, separation from the parents during hospitalizations and brain organic syndromes. Later in life, patients often have to cope with physical limitations. Recent improvements in care may be protective. Current patients may benefit from an earlier age at first surgical intervention, fewer reoperations and inclusion to the mainstream schooling, among other factors. At this point, there is little systematic knowledge about evidence-based therapeutic interventions for depression in adults with CHD. Health care providers of patients with CHD should be aware of mental health challenges and may take a more proactive approach to identifying patients at risk for depression. HubMed – depression

The German version of the Material Values Scale.

Psychosoc Med. 2013; 10: Doc05
Müller A, Smits DJ, Claes L, Gefeller O, Hinz A, de Zwaan M

Aim: The Material Values Scale is an instrument to assess beliefs about the importance to own material things. This instrument originally consists of the three subscales: ‘centrality’, ‘success’, and ‘happiness’. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the German version of the MVS (G-MVS). Method: A population-based sample of 2,295 adult Germans completed the questionnaire in order to investigate the factorial structure. To test construct validity, additional samples were gathered among patients with compulsive buying (N=52) and medical students (N=347) who also answered the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-8). Results: In the German population-based sample we could not confirm the 3-factor model but rather suggest a 2-factor solution with a first collapsed factor ‘centrality/success’, and the second factor ‘happiness’. Patients with compulsive buying showed the highest scores on the G-MVS. While G-MVS scores among compulsive buyers and medical students were significantly related to compulsive buying scores, the correlation between the G-MVS and the depression measure appeared substantially lower. We did not find any gender differences regarding materialism, neither in the population-based sample nor in the students’ or compulsive buyers’ samples. However, age was negatively related to G-MVS scores. Conclusion: Confirmatory factor analyses suggest a 2-factor model of the G-MVS. Overall, the results indicate the use of the G-MVS as a brief, psychometrically sound, and potentially valid measure for the assessment of material values. HubMed – depression