General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder

Background: Despite the high prevalence of depression and the need for timely diagnosis and treatment, research results show different and sometimes contradictory attitudes and practices among general practitioners about depressed patients. This study investigated the attitude and performance of gen...

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Main Authors: Asadolah Mosavi, Mandana Shirazi, Roghayeh Gandomkar, Hafez Mohamadhoseinpour, Rita Mojtahed Zadeh, Ardashir Afrasiabifar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Education and Health Promotion
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1136_23
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author Asadolah Mosavi
Mandana Shirazi
Roghayeh Gandomkar
Hafez Mohamadhoseinpour
Rita Mojtahed Zadeh
Ardashir Afrasiabifar
author_facet Asadolah Mosavi
Mandana Shirazi
Roghayeh Gandomkar
Hafez Mohamadhoseinpour
Rita Mojtahed Zadeh
Ardashir Afrasiabifar
author_sort Asadolah Mosavi
collection DOAJ
description Background: Despite the high prevalence of depression and the need for timely diagnosis and treatment, research results show different and sometimes contradictory attitudes and practices among general practitioners about depressed patients. This study investigated the attitude and performance of general practitioners in depression diagnosis and treatment. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 in Yasuj, Iran. One hundred and two general practitioners participated in this study using convenience sampling. The Revised Depression Attitude Assessment Questionnaire (R-DAQ) was used to collect participants’ attitudinal information regarding depression, and the checklists completed by standard patients were used to evaluate their performance status. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The average score of the overall attitude of the participants was 77.09 ± 21.03 and the average score in three domains, including professional trust in depression care, optimism in depression treatment, and public opinion about the occurrence of depression, its identification, and its management were 22.31 ± 6.47, 36.54 ± 9.51, and 19.05 ± 5.05, respectively. The mean score of overall diagnosis was 42.09 ± 19.24, and the mean score of treatment measures was 4.20 ± 3.06. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female participants in terms of performance score (P > 0.05). Also, the results showed that there was no correlation between the attitude score of the participants (dimensions and overall score) and the performance score (diagnosis and treatment). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the performance of general practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder was relatively weak. Considering the high prevalence of depressive disorder in societies and the need for timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of this disorder, it is important to empower general practitioners in this regard. Therefore, medical schools and continuing education centers can play an essential role in solving this problem by revising the educational programs related to general practitioners.
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spelling doaj-art-922db31af6fe4d3b87157c1803d2b6102025-02-06T09:49:49ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Education and Health Promotion2277-95312319-64402025-01-01141373710.4103/jehp.jehp_1136_23General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorderAsadolah MosaviMandana ShiraziRoghayeh GandomkarHafez MohamadhoseinpourRita Mojtahed ZadehArdashir AfrasiabifarBackground: Despite the high prevalence of depression and the need for timely diagnosis and treatment, research results show different and sometimes contradictory attitudes and practices among general practitioners about depressed patients. This study investigated the attitude and performance of general practitioners in depression diagnosis and treatment. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 in Yasuj, Iran. One hundred and two general practitioners participated in this study using convenience sampling. The Revised Depression Attitude Assessment Questionnaire (R-DAQ) was used to collect participants’ attitudinal information regarding depression, and the checklists completed by standard patients were used to evaluate their performance status. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The average score of the overall attitude of the participants was 77.09 ± 21.03 and the average score in three domains, including professional trust in depression care, optimism in depression treatment, and public opinion about the occurrence of depression, its identification, and its management were 22.31 ± 6.47, 36.54 ± 9.51, and 19.05 ± 5.05, respectively. The mean score of overall diagnosis was 42.09 ± 19.24, and the mean score of treatment measures was 4.20 ± 3.06. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female participants in terms of performance score (P > 0.05). Also, the results showed that there was no correlation between the attitude score of the participants (dimensions and overall score) and the performance score (diagnosis and treatment). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the performance of general practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder was relatively weak. Considering the high prevalence of depressive disorder in societies and the need for timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of this disorder, it is important to empower general practitioners in this regard. Therefore, medical schools and continuing education centers can play an essential role in solving this problem by revising the educational programs related to general practitioners.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1136_23attitudedepressiondiagnosisdisease managementgeneral practitioner
spellingShingle Asadolah Mosavi
Mandana Shirazi
Roghayeh Gandomkar
Hafez Mohamadhoseinpour
Rita Mojtahed Zadeh
Ardashir Afrasiabifar
General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
Journal of Education and Health Promotion
attitude
depression
diagnosis
disease management
general practitioner
title General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
title_full General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
title_fullStr General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
title_full_unstemmed General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
title_short General practitioners’ attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
title_sort general practitioners attitude and performance about the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder
topic attitude
depression
diagnosis
disease management
general practitioner
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1136_23
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