M Sulaiman, Y Al-Farsi, M Waly, J Saleh, M Al-Khaduri and S Al-Adawi
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Endocrinol Metab Syndr
Statement of the Problem: Previous studies in Euro-American populations have shown that women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) have increased levels of psychological burden. While PCOS had been reported in the Arab countries such as Oman, there is dearth of information on psychological burden among PCOS women in the Arab region. The aim of this study is to compare socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of those diagnosed with PCOS or those without, prevalence of severity of depression, anxiety and stress and to explore the association between PCOS and indices of psychological disturbances after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A hospital-based case control study has been conducted among women aged 1649 years. The study included 52 women diagnosed with PCOS (as per Rotterdam 2003 criteria) and 60 control women who were unknown to have PCOS. The presence of psychological burden- Depression, Anxiety and Stress- was quantified using Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale -21 (DASS-21). Findings: The crude odds ratios generated by logistic regression models indicated an increased risk of depression, anxiety and stress was associated with PCOS. After adjustment for possible confounders (age and education), the adjusted odds ratio indicated also an increased risk for the depression (OR=1.10; 95% CI 0.50, 2.43), anxiety (OR=1.09; 95% CI 0.47, 2.52), and stress (OR=1.45; 95% CI 0.68, 3.12), However, no statistical differences were observed for the three psychological distresses (p>0.05) between the two study groups. Conclusion & Significance: The study indicates that the presence of PCOS is associated with increased risk of psychological burden. If this study will withstand further scrutiny, meeting psychological needs of such population would need to be contemplated.
