Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep;33(10):880-889.
doi: 10.1177/09564624221106528. Epub 2022 Jul 8.

The prevalence of depression, anxiety and associated factors among adults with living human immunodeficiency virus in University Malaya Medical Centre

Jen Yeung Ong  1 , Anne Yee  1 , Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin  1 , Mahmoud Danaee  2 , Raja Iskandar Azwa  3
Affiliations

The prevalence of depression, anxiety and associated factors among adults with living human immunodeficiency virus in University Malaya Medical Centre

Jen Yeung Ong et al. Int J STD AIDS. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Background: This study estimates prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and determines its associated factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2020 and January 2021, in the Infectious Disease clinic and ward. One hundred ninety-one patients were recruited via convenience sampling. Patients' sociodemographic were obtained, followed by Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale -21 (DASS-21), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and M.I.N.I. international neuropsychiatric interview (M.I.N.I.) The cut off DASS-21 point for depression is ≥5, for anxiety, ≥ 4. Mann-Whitney U and Chi square test were used to analyse the association between variables, and logistic regression to find predictability.

Results: Of the 191 participants, 89.5% outpatient, mean age 40 years (SD 0.742), 91.1% male, 65.4% single, 71.2% working, 46.1% Malaysian Chinese, 59.8% non- heterosexual, mean 6 years of being HIV positive; mean CD4 count 449/μL; mean viral load 116,690 (median = 20). 85.9% were taking antiretroviral therapy. The prevalence of depression was 35.1% (n = 67); anxiety was 42.9% (n = 82). Regression analysis revealed anxiety and stress increased odds of depression by 3.8 times (p = .001) and 12 times (p < .001) respectively. Those 40 years old and younger had 2.3 times odds of anxiety (p = .048). Increased social support from friends increased odds of anxiety by 1.7 times (p = .018). Depression and stress increased odds of anxiety by 4.4 times (p = .001) and 3.7 times (p = .008) respectively.

Conclusions: Depression and anxiety among people with HIV is often under-recognised. Early identification and treatment of the mental illness is warranted. Screening with DASS-21 is useful to detect depression in patients with HIV.

Keywords: asia; epidemiology; homosexual; human immunodeficiency virus; screening.

PubMed Disclaimer