MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN HIV AND AIDS PATIENTS LIVING IN PAKISTAN: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Tahira Hafeez,Zahid Mahmood

doi:10.52567/pjsr.v3i3.244

Abstract

AIDS is still a burning issue in Pakistani culture, but it does not get much attention so does the mental health of PLHIVs and that is why there is no indigenous tool for the assessment of mental health problems. The present study aimed to explore mental health problems in HIV and AIDS Patients across four stages of the disease. The traditional method of scale development was adopted. The study took place in Lahore Pakistan; participants were recruited from an HIV treatment center. A list of 36 mental health problems was finalized and administered to 230 HIV-positive participants to establish the factorial structure of the scale. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, four factors (i) Anxiety, (ii) Paranoia, (iii) Elation, and (iv) Depression were identified and a scale consisted of 26 problems was finalized. The Cronbach Alpha for Mental Health Scale HIV/AIDS (α= .801) and GHQ-12 (α= .79) show strong internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scale. All four factors have a significant correlation. One week later test-retest reliability was r= 0.40** (*p < .01) that indicated the reliability of the scale. The scale is an indigenous disease-specific assessment tool that preliminary reflects on while living in Pakistan what kind of mental health problems are faced by PLHIVs across four stages of the disease. HIV= Human Immune Deficiency Virus, AIDS= Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, PLHIVs= People Living with HIV and AIDS, TG= Transgender, Gay= Men having sex with men. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Mental Health Problems, Pakistan

Highlights

Since HIV and AIDS is a recent phenomenon, not being well explored yet, especially in Pakistan
Research questions What are common mental health problems faced by people Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs) across the disease continuum living in Pakistan?
Pilot Study Mental Health Scale (MHS) consisting of 39 problems was piloted on 30 HIV/AIDS positive patients to see the comprehension of the scale

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Since HIV and AIDS is a recent phenomenon, not being well explored yet, especially in Pakistan. Despite the limited available data in this area, some local data shows that there is a substantial burden of mental health problems like depression (47%) and (27.9%) anxiety was found to be prevalent among PLHIVs living in Pakistan (Hafeez, 2018; Junaid, 2021). Though literature indicates HIV/AIDS and mental problems go together, but there is no such specialized, culturally sensitive, and disease-specific scale available which can assess mental health problems faced by HIV/AIDS patients living in Pakistan. Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck et al, 1988), and Saddique Shah Depression Scale (Siddiqui & Shah, 1997) are existing scales These scales are used to assess the mental health problems of HIV/AIDS. Research questions What are common mental health problems faced by PLHIVs across the disease continuum living in Pakistan?

Aims and Objectives

Procedure

RESULTS

36 I have been sent to accomplish something big

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION