Quality of Life among Persons with HIV/AIDS in Iran: Internal Reliability and Validity of an International Instrument and Associated Factors

Pedram Razavi,Mehrnaz Rasoulinejad,Mahboube Hajiabdolbaghi,Gholamreza Esmaeeli Djavid,Kaveh Hajifathalian,Willi Mcfarland,Behtash Saeidi,Minoo Mohraz,Mahsa Foroughi,Parastoo Kheirandish,Seyedahmad Seyedalinaghi,Koosha Paydary

doi:10.1155/2012/849406

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study on 191 HIV/AIDS patient was to prepare the first Persian translation of complete WHOQOL-HIV instrument, evaluate its reliability and validity, and apply it to determine quality of life and its associated factors in Tehran, Iran. Student's t-test was used to compare quality of life between groups. Mean Cronbach's α of facets in all six domains of instrument were more than 0.6 indicating good reliability. Item/total corrected correlations coefficients had a lower limit of more than 0.5 in all facets except for association between energy and fatigue facet and physical domain. Compared to younger participants, patients older than 35 years had significantly lower scores in overall quality of life (P = 0.003), social relationships (P = 0.021), and spirituality/religion/personal beliefs (P = 0.024). Unemployed patients had significantly lower scores in overall quality of life (P = 0.01), level of independence (P = 0.004), and environment (P = 0.001) compared to employed participants. This study demonstrated that the standard, complete WHOQOL-HIV 120 instrument translated into Farsi and evaluated among Iranian participants provides a reliable and valid basis for future research on quality of life for HIV and other patients in Iran.

Highlights

Quality of life is defined by one’s general health and by psychological well-being and social status
This study demonstrated that the standard, complete WHOQOL-HIV 120 instrument translated into Farsi and evaluated among Iranian participants provides a reliable and valid basis for future research on quality of life for HIV and other patients in Iran
The psychosocial aspects of quality of life may be increasingly important in patients with HIV infection as the disease becomes more chronic in nature during the era of more effective antiretroviral treatment (ART)

Summary

Introduction

Quality of life is defined by one’s general health and by psychological well-being and social status. Studies show that HIV patients often experience a decline in quality of life due to factors other than disease stage and physical condition [1,2,3,4], such as poverty, addiction, depression, and violence [5]. Understanding such factors and their influence helps to establish better social services to address multidimensional issues related to quality of life in these patients. The World Health Organization disseminates a standardized quality-of-life instrument adapted for HIV patients (WHOQOL-HIV) which has been widely used and shown to be a valuable tool for evaluating patients’ perception of their quality of life [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion