Quality of life in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a HIV WeChat account and self-assessment of physical and mental health.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the quality of life, self-assessment of mental and physical health, and their related factors inpatients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

METHODS

A total of 1 500 patients were selected from people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) users in the WeChat work account from a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Self-made General Condition Questionnaires, Perceived Social Support Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Self-Stigma Scale,HIV/ AIDS Stress Scale, Patients Health Questionnaire for Depression (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 Scale (GAD-2), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used to conduct a one-to-one questionnaire survey through WeChat video in the selected samples. Binary unconditional logistic regression was used to investigate the influential factors for PLWHA quality of life and mental and physical health.

RESULTS

A total of 1 146 valid samples were obtained. The total mean score of Social Support Scale was 52±15, and 49.0% (562/1 146) of PLWHA users had low level social support (≤52 points); the total mean score of Life Satisfaction Scale was 13 ± 4, and 54.7% (627/1 146) of PLWHA users had high life satisfaction (>13 points); the total mean score of Self-Stigma Scale was 34 ± 8, and 52.2% (598/1 146) of PLWHA users had high self-stigma (>34 points); the total mean score of Stress Scale was 40±20, and 48.8% (559/1 146) of PLWHA users had high stress (>40 points); 53.4% (612/1 146) of PLWHA users had depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks, 63.3% (725/1 146) had anxiety symptoms, and 24.3% (278/1 146) of PLWHA users had fair or very poor sleep quality in the past 1 month.There were significant differences in the mean standard scores of the 8 dimensions of the SF-12 scale in the PLWHA and the ordinary residents (all <0.001). The results of binary unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that the poor sleep quality (OR=1.53, <0.01), the HIV/AIDS-related stress (OR=1.42, <0.05), the abnormal indicators in the last physical examination (OR=1.49, <0.01), and the other chronic diseases in addition to HIV (OR=1.87, <0.01) were risk factors for poor physical health domains of PLWHA quality of life; and the poor life satisfaction (OR=2.49, <0.01), the suicidal ideation (OR=2.03, <0.01), the depression (OR=3.26, <0.01), the anxiety (OR=3.58, <0.01), the poor sleep quality (OR=2.53, <0.01), HIV/AIDS-related stress (OR=2.42, <0.01), and the low levels of social support (OR=1.46, <0.05) were the risk factors for poor mental health domains in PLWHA quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the ordinary residents, the PLWHA have lower quality of life, and we should focus on interventions to improve their physical and mental health.