Prevalence of Poststroke Depression among Saudi Patients in Tertiary Medical Centers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Poststroke depression (PSD) occurs in a significant number of patients and constitutes an important complication of stroke, leading to greater disability as well as increased mortality. Determining the prevalence of PSD in the Saudi population will provide more focused practice in assessing stroke patients for depression, which will improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the time needed for recovery. Aim of the Study: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and the risk factors of PSD. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among post stroke patients in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Assessing the post stroke patients at King Saud University Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March 2021 and March 2022 by using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26. Results: In this study, 119 stroke patients (56.3% female) participated. 70.5% of all stroke cases were ischemic stroke. The prevalence of depression in patients diagnosed with stroke was 76.5%. Regarding depression severity, 38.7%, and 20.2% of the patients had moderate and severe depression, respectively. Although this is the case, only 28.6% of patients who had a stroke used antidepressants. We also observed that the prevalence of depression was significantly more common among gender females ( P = 0.003), unemployed ( P = 0.016), patients with less monthly income ( P = 0.013), and patients with a family history of psychiatric disorder ( P = 0.011). Conclusion: In this study, two-thirds of the stroke survivors experience PSD. It is mostly correlated with sociodemographic factors such as female gender, mental illness in the family history, unemployment, and low income. Likewise, PSD may also be predicted by a family history of mental illness.