Caspian Journal of Pediatrics

Background: Since the reduction of mental health in patients with Thalassemia may affect the quality of life and cause dysfunction in various dimensions, so the assessment of this disorder is necessary to choose the appropriate treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the mental health and quality of life in patients with Thalassemia major.

Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, all Thalassemia major patients with 15 or more than 15 years old, referred to Amirkola Institute, were recruited. Mental health status and quality of life were measured via GHQ28 and SF-36 standard questionnaires, respectively.

Results: A total of 80 women and 70 men with the mean âgé of 24.17±7.34 were included in the study. The results indicated that in case of quality of life, the physical activity part was singnifantly correlated with stress, social dysfunction, physical symptoms and depression (P<0.001).  Social activity, mental health and general health (except depression) were significantly correlated (P<0.001). Social dysfunction was more prevalent in men (P=0.016) but there was no significant difference between men and women in quality of life.

Conclusions: There is an association between some of the areas of mental health and areas of quality of life, therefore a reduction in mental health status in thalassemia major patients may affect their quality of life.  The incidence of mental disorders in this study was twofold more than previous studies and since none of patients met any psychologist during their treatment period, it is suggested that the screening test should be considered for mental disorders in Thalassemia major patients.