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Abstract(s)
Background: Depression has been referred as a frequent
problem in visually impaired adults. Recent studies have
hypothesized depression as part of the adjustment process to
vision loss. Studies with other physically impaired patients
have associated depression with self-awareness of the
impairment.
Aim: Our study wants to know if self-awareness of the
impairment is associated with depressive levels, putting
depression as part of the adjustment process to vision loss.
Methods: A naturalistic cross-sectional study, using both
qualitative and quantitative instruments was adopted. Our
sample was composed by a selected group of 40 adult patients
at a rehabilitation setting, and who have lost their vision after
age 18. Self-awareness of the impairment was collected
through semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was
performed using the Thematic and Categorical Analysis
proposed by Bardin. Depressive levels were assessed using
CES-D.
Results: Qualitative data showed patients in with different
emotional resonances of their impairment. A great portion of
patients (40%) meet CES-D criteria for depression. Time
between first diagnosis and vision loss (disease evolution)
(.335; p=.035) and the rehabilitation time (.333; p=.036) were
positively correlated with depressive levels. Patients who
became impaired for longer (p=0.034), and those who
verbalized more feelings and ideas about their impairment
(p=0.039) showed higher depressive levels.
Conclusions: Depression appeared associated with variables
that reveal patients’ self-awareness of the impairment and its
integration in the individual's self. Therefore, depression
appeared as part of the adaptation to vision loss instead of
being a signal of a pooradjustment.
Keywords: Depression; vision loss; self-awareness; adaptation
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Keywords
Citation
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 70, 613