Psychological Distress Among Patients with Open Tibia Fractures at a Tertiary Level Hospital, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Psychological distress is a significant and growing public health concern in patients with musculoskeletal injuries. Open tibia fractures are among the most common injuries with both physical and psychological impacts. However, most care focuses on physical management, such as medications and surgery, with limited attention given to the mental aspect, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with open tibia fractures treated at Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute. A consecutive sampling method was used, where a structured questionnaire was administered during face-to-face interviews to gather data from participants. The mental health domain scores of the short form 36 were utilized to evaluate the likelihood of psychological distress and emotional well-being among study participants. Results A total of 328 patients with a mean age of 35.04 ± 12.61 years were enrolled in the study after meeting the inclusion criteria. They were primarily male (80.8%) and roughly half had completed secondary education (54.3%). Most participants were single (70.1%), had no formal employment (81.1%), and lived below the poverty line, with 68% of them earning less than $200 USD monthly. Notably, 91.5% of them lacked health insurance. The proportion of psychological distress was found to be 66.5%, which was significantly associated with lower education levels, unemployment, low income, acute post-injury phase (three weeks), clinical complications, and poor social support. Conclusion There is a higher level of psychological distress among patients with open tibia fractures in our setting, which warrants the need to consider the psychological component of treatment when caring for them based on their risk profile.