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World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2026; 16(4): 114081
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.114081
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.114081
Association between depression, anxiety, and treatment adherence in patients with diabetic macular edema
Yan-Ling Jin, Shi-Wei Li, Ya-Min Wang, Bin Lu, Xiang-Ning Wang, Da Long, Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200233, China
Co-first authors: Yan-Ling Jin and Shi-Wei Li.
Author contributions: Jin YL was responsible for the study conception and design, participant recruitment, data analysis, and drafting of the manuscript; Li SW, as a co-first author, contributed to data collection, follow-up coordination, and statistical analysis, as well as interpretation of results; Jin YL and Li SW jointly performed psychological and academic performance evaluations; Wang YM and Lu B assisted with data acquisition and contributed to data interpretation; Wang XN provided support in literature review and manuscript preparation; Long D, as the corresponding author, supervised the overall direction of the study, provided critical guidance, and contributed to data interpretation and substantive revision of the manuscript; Jin YL and Li SW are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript, approved the final version, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Supported by Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Retrospective Clinical Research Project (Lingang Special Project), No. ynhglg202522; Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Hospital-Level Clinical Research Project, No. ynhglg202523; and Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Hospital-Level Scientific Research Fund, No. ynts 202213.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 2025-KY-305 (K).
Informed consent statement: Due to the retrospective nature of the study, informed consent was waived.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
Corresponding author: Da Long, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Sixth People’s Hospital, No. 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
Received: October 10, 2025
Revised: November 29, 2025
Accepted: January 14, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 19.7 Hours
Revised: November 29, 2025
Accepted: January 14, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 19.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Depression and anxiety are frequent psychiatric comorbidities in patients with diabetic macular edema and play a crucial role in treatment adherence. This retrospective study found that both disorders were strongly associated with poor medication compliance and reduced appointment attendance, ultimately leading to impaired visual outcomes and lower quality of life. Treatment adherence partially mediated the link between depression and vision loss. These findings underscore the need for integrated management strategies that combine psychiatric care with ophthalmological treatment to optimize adherence and improve clinical prognosis in diabetic macular edema.