Abstract
Purpose :
The mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic is thought to be substantial. Glaucoma patients are especially vulnerable considering prior reports of higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population at baseline. In this study, we explore how measures of mental health and social support during the pandemic varied by gender among those diagnosed with glaucoma.
Methods :
We obtained a cohort of patients diagnosed with glaucoma (any type) from the NIH All of US Research Program. Answers from the latest COVID-19 Participant Experience (COPE) survey were used. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between reported depression (using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores), stress associated with social distancing, and measures of social support if one became sick with COVID-19 by self-reported gender (male, female, other). Multivariable models were adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, health insurance status, education, and income, with males as the reference group. Observations with missing values for covariates used in the models were dropped.
Results :
Of 3,675 glaucoma patients, 56.1% were female, 83.4% were non-Hispanic White, and 95.0% had insurance plans other than Medicaid or none. Many patients had a PHQ-9 score >4 (33.5%), indicating mild, moderate, or severe depression, and 74.4% experienced “a lot” or “some” stress during the pandemic from social distancing. After adjusting for covariates, females were more likely to report depression (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.20-1.62) and stress associated with social distancing (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.14-1.57) than males. Further, females were less likely to report having help if they were sick with COVID-19 and needed someone to prepare meals (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.67-0.92) or help with daily chores (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.67-0.91).
Conclusions :
Females with glaucoma were more likely to experience depression, stress due to social distancing, and were less likely to have social support if sick with COVID-19 than their male counterparts. As measures of mental wellbeing and social support are associated with better medication adherence and health outcomes, glaucoma patients identifying as female may represent an especially vulnerable population. Efforts should be made to identify glaucoma patients experiencing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.