Depressive Symptoms Before and After Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Among Older-Aged Individuals in Rural Uganda

Abstract

This study aims to characterize associations between depression symptom severity and HIV infection, both prior to and in years after ART initiation, among older adults. The Ugandan Non-Communicable Diseases & Aging Cohort Study (UGANDAC) is a study of 154 PLWH on ART and 142 community-based, HIV-negative controls. The Hopkins Checklist (HSCL), a 15-item depression scale, was used to screen for depression. We estimate differences in depressive symptoms by HIV and ART status and use multivariable log binomial regression to quantify differences in probable depression between PLWH on ART. HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected participants had a similar age (mean 52.0 vs. 51.9, p = 0.854) and sex distribution (47.4 vs. 47.9% female, p = 0.934). PLWH on ART had lower depression symptom severity than HIV-uninfected controls (mean score: 1.50 vs. 1.60, p = 0.006) and a lower prevalence of probable depression (21.4 vs. 33.8%, p = 0.017). Among 102 PLWH with pre-ART depression screening scores available, their mean depression symptom severity was similar to HIV-uninfected participants (mean 1.56 vs. 1.60, p = 0.512). In adjusted models, PLWH on ART had a lower prevalence of probable depression than HIV-negative controls [adjusted prevalence ratio: 0.68 (95% CI 0.47-0.99)]. In an observational cohort of PLWH over 40 on long-term ART and matched, community-based HIV-uninfected controls in rural Uganda, we found a lower prevalence of self-reported depression among aging PLWH on ART.

Associations between antiretroviral therapy-related experiences and mental health status among people living with HIV in China: a prospective observational cohort study

“…In studies using the same measurements as in our study, the prevalence of depression was 39.3% among newly diagnosed PLWH [44], and the prevalence of anxiety was 64.3% among those who had newly initiated ART [45]. Similar to previous longitudinal studies [22,46], our study showed a significant decline in the prevalence of mental health problems at Month 12 compared to pre-treatment. Among those who remained in the cohort, baseline mental health status was a significant factor of mental health problems 1 year after starting ART.…”

Associations between antiretroviral therapy–related experiences and mental health status among people living with HIV in China: A prospective observational cohort study

“…In studies using the same measurements as in our study, the prevalence of depression was 39.3% among newly diagnosed PLWH [44], and the prevalence of anxiety was 64.3% among those who had newly initiated ART [45]. Similar to previous longitudinal studies [22,46], our study showed a signi cant decline in the prevalence of mental health problems at Month 12 compared to pre-treatment. Among those who remained in the cohort, baseline mental health status was a signi cant factor of mental health problems one year after starting ART.…”

Antiretroviral Therapy–Related Experiences Predict Mental Health Status Among People Living with HIV in China: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

“…In studies using the same measurements as in our study, the prevalence of depression was 39.3% among newly diagnosed PLWH [47], and the prevalence of anxiety was 64.3% among those who had newly initiated ART [48]. Similar to previous longitudinal studies [24,49], our study showed a signi cant decline in the prevalence of mental health problems at Month 12 compared to pre-treatment. Our study also showed that PLWH who had probable depression when starting ART were more likely to drop out.…”