Mental Health and Health Risk Behaviours Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This research was conducted to estimate the prevalence of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) with symptoms of mental disorders (SOMD) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam; validate mental health screening scales; identify correlates of SOMD; examine the association between SOMD and health risk behaviours (HRB) and investigate the effectiveness of mental health screening and referral for PLHIV. Four hundred PLHIV at two randomly selected HIV outpatient clinics in HCMC completed a self-report questionnaire including HRB, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D), the Phan Vietnamese Psychiatric Scale - Anxiety (PVPS-A), the World Health Organization - Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (WHO-AUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST). The International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) was administered by a trained researcher. A psychiatrist independently interviewed PLHIV for symptoms of depression, anxiety, HIV associated dementia (HAD), alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD). HIV-related information was extracted from clinical records. Three months later, PLHIV were assessed again using a similar procedure, with the exception of a psychiatrists’ interview. Prevalence of SOMD identified by psychiatrists’ interview was 43.5%. The CES-D had excellent properties, the WHO-AUDIT and the IHDS had moderate validity and the DAST and the PVPS-A require further investigation. Significant correlates of each SOMD were identified. Illicit drug use was predicted by symptoms of SUD. Symptoms of depression improved significantly at month three, with greater improvement among those with a referral, while changes of symptoms of anxiety, AUD, SUD and HAD were not found. Intervention and screening programs for SOMD should take into account the correlates of each condition. Screening for symptoms of SUD may be useful for identifying PLHIV likely to use illicit drugs. Further studies regarding SOMD and HRB among Vietnamese PLHIV are needed.