article · AIDS Research and Treatment
While antiretroviral therapy has greatly improved life expectancy for people living with HIV, surviving with a chronic condition heightens the likelihood of psychiatric and psychosocial complications. A cross-sectional study of 422 patients attending selected hospitals in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia evaluated the prevalence and determinants of psychological distress. Although the observed prevalence of distress was lower than reported in earlier Ethiopian studies, it remains a serious concern for patient and family quality of life. Elevated psychological distress was strongly linked to female sex, illiteracy, alcohol consumption, lower CD4 cell counts, and perceived stigma. Effectively addressing these burdens requires stakeholders to combine mental health services with standard HIV care.
Longer survival with chronic HIV means healthcare systems must address emotional well-being alongside physical health. Demonstrating how stigma, low literacy, and biological markers like CD4 counts affect mental distress helps clinic teams recognise vulnerable patients early. This evidence reinforces the need to incorporate mental healthcare into ongoing HIV programmes to protect patient and family quality of life.
The abstract does not indicate an immediate commercialisation pathway. The findings represent early-stage epidemiological research that could inform the design of mental health screening protocols, psychosocial intervention programmes, and integrated service models for public health agencies and hospital clinics managing antiretroviral therapy.
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BACKGROUND: The new advances for the treatment of HIV infection using Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) have dramatically improved disease prognosis. However, they are living longer with a chronic condition that increases the risk for psychiatric and psychosocial problems. Various studies have linked HIV/AIDS with a number of psychological problems, depression being the most common. Moreover, studies have found that chronically ill people are at increased risk of psychological problems. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the level of psychological distress and its associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in selected Hospitals of North Sowa Zone of Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2017. METHOD: Institution based cross-sectional study design with systematic random sampling method was used. Data was collected by structured interviewer-based Amharic version questionnaire. A total of 422 people living with HIV/AIDS were involved in the study from 1 to 30 May 2017. Data analysis was done with the help of a computer program (SPSS version 16.0). Binary logistic regression analysis was used for bivariate and multivariate analysis. The strength of the association was presented by odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. RESULT: l (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.02, 5.11), and participants who are considered stigmatized (AOR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.11, 5.22) were positively associated with psychological distress. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of psychological distress was low as compared to other studies conducted in Ethiopia. This may affect the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Being female, illiteracy, alcohol use, and having lower CD4 count and perceived stigma increased the odds of psychological distress. Thus, concerned stakeholders should collaborate on the integration of HIV/AIDs treatment and mental health services.
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DOI: 10.1155/2019/8329483
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