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Trachoma and Mental Health
Date of Completion: September 2021
Funder: Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD), funded at The Task Force for Global Health primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, by the UK aid from the British government and by the United States Agency for International Development through its Neglected Tropical Diseases Program.
Aim: Explore the impact of Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) on common mental disorders (depression, anxiety and suicidality).
Background
The blinding stage of trachoma causes considerable pain, and ultimately visual impairment that may lead to physical and psychosocial impairment leading to mental health disorders. However, no studies have been conducted to specifically assess the association between TT and mental health disorders.
Key Findings
Common mental health disorders were highly prevalent in people affected with TT than their age, gender and location matched non-trichiatic comparisons (22.0% vs 10.5%, OR=2.40, 95% CI, 1.51 – 3.80, p=0.0002).
Stigma in people affected with TT was independently associated with suicidal behavior (odds ratio (OR)=1.37, 95% CI, 1.09–1.72, p=0.0071).
Vision impairment was strongly associated with depression (OR=2.04, 95% CI, 1.14–3.67, p=0.017).