Mental health and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among Mexican people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The mental health and medical follow-up of people living with HIV (PLWH) have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to assess anxiety, depression and substance use in Mexican PLWH during the pandemic; to explore the association of these symptoms with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to compare patients with and without vulnerability factors (low socioeconomic level, previous psychological and/or psychiatric treatment). METHODS: We studied 1259 participants in a cross-sectional study, PLWH receiving care at the HIV clinic in Mexico City were contacted by telephone and invited to participate in the study. We included PLWH were receiving ART; answered a structured interview on sociodemographic data and adherence to ART; and completed the psychological instruments to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms and substance use risk. Data collection was performed from June 2020 to October 2021. RESULTS: 84.7% were men, 8% had inadequate ART adherence, 11% had moderate-severe symptoms of depression, and 13% had moderate-severe symptoms of anxiety. Adherence was related to psychological symptoms (p < 0.001). Vulnerable patients were more likely to be women, with low educational level and unemployed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is important to address mental health of PLWH during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the most vulnerable individuals. Future studies are needed to understand the relationship between mental health and ART adherence.

Assessment of anxiety in Mexican persons living with HIV using a culturally-adapted version of the GAD-7 test.

Our aim was to assess the severity of anxiety in PLWHA in Mexico City and obtain the psychometric properties of the culturally-adapted Spanish version of GAD-7. Thirteen percent of participants presented moderate to severe symptoms. Reliability (α = 0.82) and construct validity (single-factor explained 48.9% of variance) were evaluated in 411 participants. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed in a second sample of 527 participants. Model fit adequately (CFI = 0.991; CMIN/DF = 1.924; RMSEA = 0.042; and SRMR = 0.026). The adapted version of GAD-7 was adequate for the assessment of anxiety in Mexican PLWHA.

Assessment of depression, anxiety, hopelessness and suicidal risk in HIV+ inpatients / Evaluación de depresión, ansiedad, desesperanza y riesgo suicida en pacientes con VIH hospitalizados

Abstract Introduction. People living with HIV frequently experience anxiety, depression, hopelessness and suicide risk, particularly if they are hospitalized due to HIV complications. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of anxiety, depression, hopelessness and suicide risk in HIV+ inpatients at admission and discharge. Method. A comparative study was conducted with the HIV+ inpatient population of the National Institute for Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City, from February to November 2013. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale and the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale were applied at hospital admission and discharge. Results. One hundred and fifteen patients completed all three assessments. Upon admission, 10.4% of the patients scored above the cut-off point for suicide risk; 1.7% presented high levels of hopelessness; 5.2% had clinical depression, and 7% had clinical anxiety. The comparison of scores at admission and discharge showed significant decreases in all symptom levels. Discussion and conclusion. Most of the patients presented low levels of all symptoms assessed at admission and these decreased at discharge. Further research is necessary with the hospitalized HIV population.

Resumen Introducción. Las personas que viven con VIH experimentan con frecuencia ansiedad, depresión, desesperanza y riesgo suicida, particularmente si son hospitalizadas debido a complicaciones por el VIH. Objetivo. El propósito del presente estudio fue evaluar y comparar la presencia de ansiedad, depresión, desesperanza y riesgo suicida en pacientes hospitalizados con VIH, a su ingreso y su egreso. Método. Se llevó a cabo un estudio comparativo con pacientes de VIH+ hospitalizados en el Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias en la Ciudad de México de febrero a noviembre de 2013. Se aplicaron la Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria, la Escala de Desesperanza de Beck y la Escala de Riesgo Suicida de Plutchik. Resultados. Ciento quince pacientes completaron las tres escalas. A su ingreso, 10.4% de los pacientes obtuvieron puntajes por encima del punto de corte en la Escala de Riesgo Suicida; 1.7% presentaron niveles altos de desesperanza; 5.2% puntuaron con depresión clínica; y 7% puntuaron para ansiedad clínica. La comparación entre los resultados obtenidos al ingreso y el egreso hospitalario mostró una disminución significativa en todos los síntomas al egreso. Discusión y conclusión. La mayoría de los pacientes presentaron niveles bajos de los síntomas evaluados y éstos disminuyeron al egreso. Son necesarias investigaciones adicionales de salud mental en población hospitalizada con VIH.