Depressive Symptoms Among Palestinian Deaf Adults

The aim of the Study: The study aims to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Palestinian deaf adults. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted to answer the research question for the study. The framework is based on factors derived from previous studies on the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9 (Robert & Spitzer et al, 2001). The subject population was composed of 217 adults from three representative West Bank Palestinian cities. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 65 years divided as males (n=136) and females (n=81). All participants attend special deaf centers and use the Palestinian Sign Language (PSL). Results and Data Analysis: The data analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). We used mean, standard deviation, and multivariate logistic regression. According to the multivariate analysis results of the study showed, (OR=2. 0) (95% CI, 1.2-3.4) minimal depression, (OR= 1.7) (95% CI, 1.2-2.3) mild depression, (OR=1. 4) (95% CI, 1.1-1.9) moderate depression, and (OR=0. 9) (95% CI, 0.7-1.2) severe depression. Conclusion: The concluded result of our study is that more than half of the respondents suffer from depression at varying levels, which is considered significant conclusion. Tendency for depression might be a common health problem among deaf adults attending primary health maintenance installations. Further research on socio-demographic characteristics and the force of depression on their health status is required. Keywords: Depression, Prevalence, Cross sectional, Deaf, Palestinian.