Evaluation of Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depression in People Living with HIV

Abstract

Introduction: The topic of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become increasingly significant due to the advancements in antiretroviral therapies and the increase in life expectancy among individuals living with people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). We aimed to ascertain the levels of anxiety, depression, and HRQoL in PLWH. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between March and November 2020 at Mersin University Hospital, a tertiary level hospital in Turkey. The HRQoL was evaluated using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), while depression and anxiety were assessed using the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and Beck Anxiety Scale (BAS), respectively. Based on the univariate analysis results, all candidate variables with a p value of<0.25, which may clinically be a risk factor for SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS), were selected and evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The PCS and MCS scores were significantly lower (p<0.05), while the BDS and BAS scores were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the PLWH group. The depression and anxiety rates were 31.7% and 22.1%, respectively. Anxiety and depression adversely affected the quality of life (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that female sex [p=0.040, odds ratios (OR): 3.115, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.109-0.949 for PCS; p=0.033, OR: 4.200, 95% CI: 0.063-0.893 for MCS], missed outpatient clinic appointments (p=0.025, OR: 2.397, 95% CI: 1.114-5.159 for PCS; p=0.017, OR: 3.407, 95% CI: 1.250-9.282 for MCS), depression (p=0.001, OR: 3.479, 95% CI: 1.612-7.508 for PCS; The risk on MCS could not be calculated), and anxiety (p=0.042, OR: 2.597, 95% CI: 1.035-6.518 for PCS; p=0.001, OR: 6.74, 95% CI: 2.153-21.124 for MCS), were factors related to both low PCS and MCS scores. Conclusion: High anxiety and depression levels among the PLWH in our study had an adverse impact on their HRQoL.

Keywords

• anxiety
• depression
• human immunodeficiency virus
• acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
• health-related quality of life