Deciphering the correlation of depression, quality of life, and COVID-19 challenges in people with disability: A Saudi Arabian perspective.

Background: Disability is a serious health issue that can have a significant impact on both physical and mental health. This study attempted to investigate the relationship between depression, quality of life (QOL), and COVID-19 challenges faced by people with disabilities (PwD) from Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A structured interview questionnaire to measure QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) and depression (PHQ-9) was used to conduct a cross-sectional study among PwDs in Saudi Arabia. Binary regression analysis was done using SPSS-IBM and predictors for depression, quality of life and COVID-19 challenges were determined.

Results: Of the 111 study samples, two-thirds were male (67.6%), with only one-third employed (34.2%). Most of them (70%) reported moderate to severe disability-related difficulties. Only 28.8% of the samples were satisfied with the physical health domain of the quality of life, whereas 31.5%, 44.1%, and 50.5% were satisfied with the psychological, social, and environmental health domains, respectively. Approximately 62% of the participants had been diagnosed with depression. A significantly higher percentage of participants who had not received COVID-19 vaccination were depressed (P = 0.011), whereas the depression rate was lower among those who received three or four doses of vaccination (P = 0.006). Depression is 4.1 times more likely in people with comorbidities, and disability with increased difficulty (OR: 4.266). Furthermore, vaccinated people had a 5.3-fold higher chance of developing satisfactory QOL.

Conclusion: Regardless of the type, cause, or duration of disability, the degree of difficulty is a strong predictor of depression and a decrease in quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to improve the well-being of people with disabilities.