Mental Health in Palliative Care in Neno, Malawi

This dataset was developed to test the hypothesis that depression and anxiety are highly prevalent among adults enrolled in palliative care in rural Malawi, and that selected demographic factors predict these mental health outcomes. The data shows a substantial burden of both depression and anxiety, with a strong positive correlation between the two conditions and a significant association between older age and anxiety. These findings suggest that mental health needs are considerable within palliative care populations and vary by age.
The data set consists of cross-sectional quantitative data collected between January and June 2024 from adult patients enrolled in the Neno District palliative care program across nine health facilities. Participants were selected through simple random sampling from the district palliative care registry. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires that included validated screening tools: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety.
The dataset is stored in “STATA do. file” format, with each row representing an individual participant and each column representing a study variable. Variables include sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, marital status), PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, and derived categorical indicators of depression and anxiety based on standard cut-off points and a STROBE checklist which was used in drafting the manuscript. The data can be used to estimate prevalence, examine associations, and identify predictors, with interpretation limited to associations due to the cross-sectional study design.