Anxiety and Depression in Clinically Cured Leprosy patients: A Cross-sectional Survey from Hanzhong Leprosy Hospital, China

Abstract Background Leprosy is a chronic mycobacterial disease that often causes permanent physical impairment and severe psychosocial burden. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 115 hospitalized clinical cured leprosy patients from Hanzhong Leprosy Hospital. GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scales were adopted to evaluate anxiety and depression. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the national leprosy management system (LEPMIS). SPSS 26.0 was used for descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, stepwise linear regression, Multivariate ANOVA, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and reliability tests. Results Participants had a mean age of 70.70 ± 11.21 years, with 73.04% males. The positive rates of anxiety and depression were 26.09% and 24.35% by two scales. T-test and ANOVA showed higher scores in patients with advanced age, widowhood/divorce, disease duration, disability deterioration, and DDS monotherapy (all P < 0.05). Independent risk factors including disability deterioration, ulcers, and disease duration for GAD-7, and age, marriage, ulcer for PHQ-9(P < 0.05). CCA/RDA proved significant correlations between demographic/clinical features and overall mental status (P = 0.005). Two scales possessed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.909 for GAD-7, and 0.734 for PHQ-9), with positive inter-scale correlations (r = 0.355, P < 0.01). Conclusion Clinically cured leprosy patients carry prominent anxiety and depression burdens. Targeted mental screening and psychosocial support should be integrated into long-term leprosy management.