Psychological change of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection or acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Abstract

Objective To investigate the mental health status of adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Methods Ninety-four patients with HIV infection or AIDS and 38 healthy subjects were enrolled and filled in the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), Coping Styles Questionnaire (CSQ) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Results In SCL-90, the scores of compulsion, depression, anxiety and psychoticism factor were significantly increased in the patient group (all P<0.05). In the study group, the scores of depression and paranoid ideation factors of male patients were higher than those of female patients. For the participants with HIV infection or AIDS, several factors of SCL-90 were correlative with CSQ and EPQ (r=0.21 to 0.70). Conclusion Emotional disorders may be the most common mental problem of patients with HIV infection or AIDS, and social and psychological supports should be needed. Key words: HIV infections; Anxiety; Depression