Prevalence and factors associated with depression among young adults living with HIV attending the Infectious Diseases Institute

Abstract

Introduction: Depression among young adults living with HIV increases their risk of complications from HIV and has been consistently associated with disruption of the important developmental process, subsequently leading to a wide range of negative mental, physical and psychosocial consequences. Whereas many studies have been done concerning depression in young adults with HIV there is limited information concerning its co-occurrence with other mental disorders like alcohol use and anxiety. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression among young adults attending Infectious Disease Institute, Uganda. Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 young adults aged 18-24 years with HIV attending the Infectious Diseases Institute who were conveniently selected after meeting the eligibility criteria. Bivariable and multivariable log binomial regression model was done to identify factors associated with depression. Variables with a p-value ≤0.2 on the bivariable analysis were candidates for multivariable analysis. Adjusted odds ratios with the respective 95% CI were calculated and p-value <0.05 were used to set statistically significant variables in the multivariable analysis. Results: A total of 420 HIV positive young adults participated in this study. The median age was 22 years, (IQR 20 – 24), the majority experiencing minim(49.1%) or mild (43.3%) anxiety level, while 24.8% reported alcohol use. The prevalence of depression was 35.5%. Alcohol use PR of 1.53 (CI: 1.27, 1.83), high baseline viral load 2.71(2.11,3.31), receiving Financial support PR of 1.53 (CI:1.27, 1.83) and moderate-severe Anxiety PR of 3.21 (CI: 2.46, 4.20) levels were factors significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of depression among HIVpositive young adults. Factors such as Alcohol use, high baseline viral load, receiving financial support and high anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with depression. Therefore, we recommend regular screening for depression co-morbidity among HIV-positive young adults and linkage with mental health service providers. Keywords: depression young adults, HIV, Uganda