TITLE:
Post-Stroke Depression among Stroke Survivors at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Israel Ebubechukwu Okeke, Patrick Chinazam Nwosu, Uma Agwu Uma, Emmanuel Aniekan Essien, Emmanuel Effiong Uwah
KEYWORDS:
Stroke Survivors, Depression, Cognitive Impairment
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Depression,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
9,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Post-stroke depression is very prevalent among stroke survivors but is often missed or underdiagnosed. There is much attention given to the physical rehabilitation of stroke survivors, with little or no attention given to the psychological sequelae of stroke. Aim: To investigate the occurrence of post-stroke depression among stroke survivors at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among stroke survivors at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. All the stroke survivors had a CT scan-confirmed stroke. A consecutive sampling method was used to recruit respondents. The following questionnaires were administered to 122 stroke survivors. Sociodemographic/clinical questionnaire, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), The Mini-International Neuropsychiatry Interview (MINI)-Depression module, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), and the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS). The data were analysed using SPSS version 25. Results: The study recruited 122 stroke survivors. The prevalence of Post-Stroke Depression among the respondents was 36.9%. The mean age of the participants was 60.23 ± 13.0. The proportion of male respondents was 62.3%, while that of female respondents was 37.7%. Respondents with right hemispheric stroke were 51.6%, while those with left hemispheric stroke were 36.1%. The proportion of respondents with ischaemic stroke (87.1%) was higher than that of those with hemorrhagic stroke (12.3%). The predictors of post-stroke depression in the study include respondents with comorbid diabetes mellitus (OR = 6.9, 95% CI = 1.4 - 32.9, p = 0.01) and those with coexisting hypertension and diabetes (OR = 24.1, 95% CI = 1.0 - 572, p = 0.04). Conclusion: The result of the study showed that depression among stroke survivors is high among the study population. This condition is often neglected by the primary physicians managing these patients, leading to poor treatment outcomes. Efforts should be made to include psychological assessment/treatment in the routine care of stroke patients.