Prevalence of and factors associated with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among Sudan ebolavirus disease survivors and family members, Uganda, January 2023: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Communities affected by Ebola disease (EBOD) may face resulting increases in mental health disorders. We evaluated the prevalence of and factors associated with mental health disorders among persons affected by the 2022 Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among SVD survivors and family members of survivors and fatal cases from 15–31 January 2023 (six weeks after the last case was discharged). We included only laboratory-confirmed, consenting SVD survivors and family members who lived with or cared for confirmed SVD patients during their illness and who were home at the time of our visits. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to evaluate anxiety and depression. The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition was used to evaluate PTSD. We used modified Poisson regression (adjusted for clustering by household) to determine factors associated with each mental health disorder. Results We enrolled 54 survivors and 82 family members from 96 households; median participant age was 30 years (range, 15–73), and 54% were female. The prevalence of anxiety (55%) and depression (50%) was higher than PTSD (17%); 64% had ≥ 1 mental health disorder. The prevalence of anxiety among persons from households with 2–4 members (aPR = 0.54, 95%CI:0.31–0.92) was lower than among persons who lived alone. The prevalence of PTSD was lower in persons from households with 2–4 members (aPR = 0.24, 95%CI:0.08–0.66) and > 4 members (aPR = 0.32, 95%CI:0.13–0.78) compared to persons who lived alone. Persons from households with ≥ 1 SVD death had a higher prevalence of depression (aPR = 1.8, 95%CI:1.1–3.3) and anxiety (aPR = 1.9, 95%CI:1.1–3.5) compared to households with no EBOD deaths. The prevalence of all mental health disorders was similar between survivors and family members. Conclusion Approximately two-thirds of SVD survivors and family members of patients in the 2022 outbreak in Uganda had ≥ 1 mental health disorder shortly after the outbreak ended. Strengthening mental health services during and after Ebola virus outbreaks for survivors and family members of patients may enhance the quality of outbreak response.