Depression and anxiety in chronic hepatitis B: effect of hepatitis B virus infection on psychological state in childhood.

We aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic hepatitis B virus infection on the psychological state of children. Children who were carriers of hepatitis B virus (n:20) and those with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (n:20) for at least one year formed study Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Healthy children with similar demographic characteristics (n:43) were enrolled as the control group. The "Children's Depression Inventory" and "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children" were used for the assessment of the extent of depression and anxiety, respectively. Then, mean depression and anxiety scores of the study and control groups were compared. In addition, the children in each group were further evaluated for depression and anxiety with respect to gender and age as prepubertal and postpubertal. The mean depression and anxiety scores of study Groups 1 and 2 and of the control group were 8.35 +/- 5.6, 8.22 +/- 6.85, 9.12 +/- 5.2 (depression scores) and 32.7 +/- 6.85, 33.4 +/- 10 and 34 +/- 6.5 (anxiety scores), respectively. These three groups did not differ significantly from each other with respect to anxiety and depression scores (p>0.05). Athough there was no child with overt depression (with a depression score over 19) in study Group 2, two children in study Group 1 and one child in the control group were determined to be in overt depression. Children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were not different with respect to depression and anxiety from children who were carriers of hepatitis B virus nor from the healthy controls.