Trauma has negative impacts which include morbidity and mortality of patients with differences in ages and injury severity (1). It is also a psychological shock to individuals who are exposed to an event that involves actual and unexpected death or serious injuries immediately after individuals have experienced an event (2). Among common forms of tragedies which involve both natural and manmade catastrophic events, several people are exposed to awful life-threatening circumstances such as conflicts (wars), fire and car and other vehicle accidents, rape and the like (2). It has been noted that the rates of exposure to a traumatic event can vary depending on the age of the person, country of origin and occupation (3). Physical trauma involves hurt to the individual body, which may be resulted from accidents, falls, suicidal attempts, interpersonal violence, burns, poisoning, and work associated accidents(4)
More than 1.5 million people die and distressed from severe trauma-related illnesses every year, and essentially more people experience impacts of non-deadly harm realized by violence (5). Around three million individuals are discharged in America from hospitals every twelve months after physical injury (6). Around 51.4 million non-lethal violence-related to wounds are dealt with every year in medical emergencies clinic in the United States (7). In Western Europe, 670,000 violence-related injuries require treatment each year (8). According to the 2000–2020 World Health Organization (WHO) estimated, road traffic-correlated death will be to increase with 80% in low-and middle-income nations (9). The evidence showed that Sub-Saharan Africa in 2015, the accident was accounted for 32% (10). The evidence from East Africa like Sudan, 2014, and Tanzania, 2005 showed that there is a significant developing burden of traumatic events (11, 12). Being one of the developing nations, an accident is a typical general health problem in Ethiopia (13). The finding from Gondar referral hospital showed that the traumatic events accounted for 25 % of surgical problems in 2015 (14). The trauma has negative impacts which include morbidity and mortality of patients with differences in ages and injury severity(15).
Depression presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, and poor concentration; depression is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease and affects people in all communities across the world. Today, depression is estimated to affect 350 million people (16). In Ethiopia, depression contributes to about 6.5% of the burden of diseases (17). Depression is a common situation next traumatic physical injury requiring hospitalization and is related with major damage in functional status (18, 19). In addition to the challenges posed to physical health, persons who expose physical injuries are at risk for major depression (20). Depression later on physical trauma is related with poor health outcomes including impaired physical functioning and disability and lower quality of life (21). A longitudinal investigation of terrible accidents showed that depression is frequently occurred after experiencing traumatic events (22).
One study done in Australia showed that an unexpected traumatic situation could not only contribute physical injury but also it might lead to survivors an increased risk for depression (23). Some literatures indicate that depression, and anxiety are the most widely recognized as mental problems after encountering trauma incidence (tragedies), which shatters the psychological well-being of an individual that is impacting his/her physical, psychological, social, and occupational functioning shortly after the accident (24, 25).
One review study reported that people who were exposed to an injury, people with earlier PTSD as well as other form of mental problems are at risk for developing depression when faced with another unpleasant stress (26). Another study reported that motor vehicle accident survivors, history of mental treatment, and earlier traumatic events could be the risk factors depression (27).
Many epidemiological studies have shown that depressive disorder is widespread in patients with exposed physical trauma, and deteriorate the health status of the victim by increasing morbidity and eventually leading to mortality. However, these circumstances have not been noticed, and this has been evidenced by the lack of studies targeting prevalence of depression and associated factors among exposed physical trauma in these study area, and in Ethiopia at large. In other words the prevalence of depression in patients with exposed physical trauma admitted at the University of Gondar and Felege-Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital is not known. Considering this gap the study will play a significant role in filling the gap by revealing the unknown.