Emotional Stress, Psychosocial Variables and Coping Associated with Hepatitis C Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections in Intravenous Drug Users

Abstract

Background: The increasing health problem of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has only recently attracted the attention of psychosocial research, especially among subjects at higher risk (e.g. intravenous drug users; IDUs). The aim of the present study was to compare emotional stress symptoms, psychosocial variables (i.e. social support, external locus of control and emotional repression) and coping strategies in HCV-seropositive, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and HCV/HIV-noninfected IDUs. Methods: IDUs followed by the Infectious Diseases Outpatient clinic were enrolled in the study over a period of 1 year. HCV-positive (n = 62) and HIV-positive (n = 76) IDUs and HCV/HIV-seronegative IDUs (n = 152) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Social Provision Scale, the Locus of Control scale and the affective inhibition scale of the Illness Behavior Questionnaire. Coping with illness among HCV-positive and HIV-positive subjects was assessed through a modified version of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale. Results: No significant differences were found between the samples with respect to individual and interpersonal variables. HCV-positive subjects showed higher scores on several psychological stress dimensions (i.e. obsessive-compulsive, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism) and lower scores on fighting spirit, hopelessness and anxious preoccupation towards illness than HIV-positive patients. HCV-positive and HCV/HIV-seronegative IDUs reported comparable scores on most of the psychological measures. Conclusions: The findings indicate that routine assessment of psychosocial variables and coping mechanisms should be integrated into all HCV and HIV services, especially those dedicated to treatment of patients with substance abuse, as a vulnerable segment of the population at risk for life-threatening physical illness such as HCV and HIV infections.

Assessment of factors associated with the quality of life of patients living with HIV/HCV co-infection

“…These results are in line with previous reports that found higher somatisation or somatic concerns (Grassi et al, 2002;Hilsabeck et al, 2003), depressive symptoms (Baum et al, 2008;Braitstein et al, 2005;Yoon et al, 2011), and general psychological distress (Pereira et al, 2014) among co-infected patients. These increased psychological symptoms are not surprising, and may be associated with HIV or HCV (as well as the psychological strain of living with two stigmatising medical conditions), the well-known psychosocial vulnerabilities of co-infected patients, such as the higher likelihood of having past or current drug use and psychiatric comorbidity, antiviral treatments and its side-effects, or a combination of these factors.…”

Mental adjustment, coping strategies, and psychological distress among end-stage renal disease patients

“…Although no research whatsoever has been devoted to the mental adjustment coping style of ESRD patients, based on clinical experience, a fighting spirit seems to have a vital impact on the psychological distress. The present findings are supported by those reported by Hirabayashi et al [5], Grassi et al [31], and Nair [8], all indicating that patients who show a fighting spirit have a better quality of life physically and psychologically. As shown in the present study, ESRD patients who view the illness as a challenge and have a positive attitude toward its outcome, seek appropriate but not excessive information about the disease, take an active role in their recovery, and try to live as normal a life as possible are in less psychological distress.…”

“…Similarly, Montgomery et al [7] showed that leukemia and lymphoma patients most likely to be suffering from severe psychological distress were those with a worse coping style, as measured by the MAC scale. Grassi et al [31] indicated that psychological distress (BSI) was associated with poor coping (MAC coping factor) among Hepatitis C and HIV patients and the same finding was present in the study of Nair [8] of cervical cancer patients.…”

A Biopsychosocial Model of Interferon-Alpha-Induced Depression in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

“…However, episodes of depression are a frequent side effect of IFN-α. These usually appear within 3 months after the start of treatment and affect the adherence of recipients to treatment and their quality of life [1,2,3,4,5]. …”