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Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms and Life Satisfaction of Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema Treated with Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Psychological outcomes among patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for diabetic macular edema (DME) remain insufficiently investigated. This study assessed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as life satisfaction, in patients undergoing intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy for DME. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy for DME at Clinical Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia, from 15 December 2025 to 15 February 2026. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and life satisfaction using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was categorized as ≥0.5, 0.1–0.49, or <0.1. Multivariable linear regression models were adjusted for age, sex, and diabetes duration. Results: A total of 156 patients were included; 51.3% were male, and the median age was 71 years (IQR 64.75–76.25). Mild-to-extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were present in 39.7%, 48.7%, and 28.8% of participants, respectively, while 37.2% reported some degree of life dissatisfaction. In adjusted analyses (N = 155), worse-seeing eye BCVA < 0.1 was associated with higher stress scores compared with BCVA ≥ 0.5 (B = 2.667, 95% CI 0.526–4.808, p = 0.015; standardized effect size = 0.583). Associations with depression and anxiety were not significant, and no BCVA associations remained significant after Benjamini–Hochberg correction. The number of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections was not significantly associated with the assessed psychological outcomes and life satisfaction in univariable analyses. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of assessing psychological symptoms and life satisfaction in patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy for DME. Further research should examine the associations of visual acuity, the number of anti-VEGF injections, and other clinical and psychosocial factors with these outcomes.

Source: Healthcare

DOI: 10.3390/healthcare14213681