Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, CRC, Entrance 72, Malmö University Hospital, 205 02, Malmö, Sweden.
Int J Behav Med. 2012 Jun;19(2):208-16. doi: 10.1007/s12529-011-9159-4.
Little focus has been paid to the role of mental health among young people with regard to risky sexual behavior and HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between poor mental health and risky sexual behavior (HIV/AIDS) among a population of university students in Uganda.
In 2005, 980 Ugandan university students completed a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 80%) assessing sociodemographic and religious background factors, mental health, alcohol use, and sexual behavior. Mental health was assessed using items from the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 and the Symptom Checklist-90.
High scores on depression and high numbers of sexual partners among both males (odds ratio (OR) 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.3) and females (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.3-8.6) were significantly associated. Elevated anxiety scores among men were associated with high numbers of sexual partners (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.3) and inconsistent condom use (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.6). Psychoticism was also significantly associated with high numbers of sexual partners among men. The associations remained statistically significant after controlling for sociodemographic factors and level of alcohol consumption.
These findings indicate that previous conclusions on the association between sexual behavior and mental health from high- and middle-income countries also are valid in a low-income setting, such as in Uganda. This knowledge has implications for policy formation and HIV/AIDS preventive strategies. Coordinated youth-friendly mental health and sexual and reproductive health services to meet the needs of young people would be desirable.
在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，对于年轻人的心理健康与危险性行为和 HIV 预防之间的关系，关注甚少。本研究旨在调查乌干达大学生群体中，心理健康状况不佳与危险性行为（艾滋病毒/艾滋病）之间的关系。
2005 年，980 名乌干达大学生完成了一份自我管理问卷（应答率 80%），评估社会人口学和宗教背景因素、心理健康、酒精使用和性行为。使用 Hopkins 症状清单-25 项和症状清单-90 项评估心理健康。
男性（比值比（OR）2.0，95%置信区间（CI）1.2-3.3）和女性（OR 3.3，95% CI 1.3-8.6）中抑郁得分高和性伴侣数量多与显著相关。男性焦虑得分升高与性伴侣数量多（OR 1.9，95% CI 1.1-3.3）和避孕套使用不一致（OR 1.9，95% CI 1.1-3.6）有关。精神病也与男性性伴侣数量多显著相关。在控制社会人口学因素和酒精摄入量水平后，这些关联仍然具有统计学意义。
这些发现表明，高收入和中等收入国家关于性行为和心理健康之间关联的先前结论在低收入环境中（如乌干达）也是有效的。这些知识对政策制定和艾滋病毒/艾滋病预防策略具有影响。协调的青年友好型心理健康和性与生殖健康服务，以满足年轻人的需求是可取的。
