Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41928148›Full record

ArticleBMC women's health2026

Depression and loss to follow-up among patients treated for premalignant cervical lesions at a tertiary hospital in Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

Samuel Maling, Frank Ssedyabane, Hope Mudondo, Rogers Kajabwangu, Nathan Kakongi, Eleanor Turyakira, Alexcer Namuli, Wilfred Arubaku, Martin Galiwango, Randall C Thomas and 1 more

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Samuel MalingDepartment of Psychiatry, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda. sammaling@must.ac.ug.
Frank SsedyabaneDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Hope MudondoDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Rogers KajabwanguDepartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara, Uganda.
Nathan KakongiDepartment of Biochemistry, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Eleanor TuryakiraDepartment of Community Health, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Alexcer NamuliDepartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara, Uganda.
Wilfred ArubakuDepartment of Dental Surgery, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Martin GaliwangoDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Randall C ThomasDivision of Gynecologic Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA.
Deusdedit TusubiraDepartment of Biochemistry, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCervical cancer prevention relies on timely treatment and follow-up of premalignant cervical lesions, yet loss to follow-up (LTFU) remains common in many low-resource settings. Depression may be associated with poor engagement in care, but evidence among women treated for premalignant lesions in Uganda is limited. We assessed the prevalence of depression and its association with LTFU among women treated for premalignant cervical lesions at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda.

methodsThis was a retrospective cross-sectional study at the Cervical Cancer Clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda. Women treated for premalignant cervical lesions between January 2017 and December 2022 with complete records and active telephone contacts were enrolled (n = 112). Follow-up status was defined by clinic attendance on the scheduled review date or within three months thereafter. Depressive symptoms were assessed during telephone interviews (May–June 2023) using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), categorized as moderate/severe (≥ 10) versus no/mild (< 10). sociodemographic and treatment-related data were collected using a separate structured questionnaire/clinical record abstraction. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between depression and LTFU, adjusting for district of residence, marital status, education level, and employment status.

resultsOf 112 participants, 75.0% (84/112) were LTFU. The mean age was 36.4 years (SD = 8.8). Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were present in 17.9% (20/112). Mean PHQ-9 scores were higher among participants who were LTFU than those retained in care (6.2 ± 5.2 vs. 0.7 ± 3.1; p < 0.001). Depression was associated with increased odds of LTFU (AOR = 9.697; 95% CI: 1.087–86.536; p = 0.042).

conclusionWomen treated for premalignant cervical lesions at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital had high LTFU, and depressive symptoms were strongly associated with disengagement from follow-up care.

Indexed as

DepressionLost to Follow-UpPrecancerous ConditionsUterine Cervical NeoplasmsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPrevalenceRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersUgandaCervical cancerDepressionLoss to Follow-UpPremalignant cervical lesionsTertiary HospitalUganda

Identifiers

PMID41928148
PMCPMC13169793

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.