Socio-demographic correlates of depression and anxiety among female caregivers living with HIV in rural Uganda

Abstract

Women living with HIV are at increased risk for psychosocial distress, especially among social and economically disadvantaged women living in rural areas. Little is known about how social support and wealth impacts the mental health of women caring for young children in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this paper was to assess demographic, socio-economic, and social support correlates of depression and anxiety in HIV-infected+ female caregivers living in rural Uganda. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25), two-domains of social support (family and community) were measured with the adapted Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, and wealth was measured using a checklist of material possessions and housing quality among 288 women. Multivariable linear regression models assessed the association of depression and anxiety with demographic and social predictors. Sixty one percent of women reported clinically significant symptoms of depression or anxiety using the standard HSCL-25 cut-off of >1.75. Lower wealth (p=0.01) and family support (p=0.01) were significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, with greater family support being more protective of depression in the highest wealth group (top 20%) compared to the lowest. More anxiety symptoms were associated with lower wealth (p=0.001), lower family support (p=0.02), and higher community support (p=0.003). Economic and social support factors are important predictors of caregiver mental health in the face of HIV disease in rural Uganda. Findings suggest that interventions should consider ways to increase economic opportunities and strengthen family support for HIV+ caregivers.

The feasibility of automated eye tracking with the Early Childhood Vigilance Test of attention in younger HIV-exposed Ugandan children.

“…The height (range 79 to 115 cm; M =101, SD =8.56) and weight (range 8 to 20 kg; M =15.34, SD =2.80) were well within the normal range reported for the total sample of HIV exposed children in the RCT study (Judith K. Bass et al, 2016), as was the quality of home environment based on the modified Caldwell Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scale (Caldwell & Bradley, 1979) (range 12 to 28; M =22.4, SD =3.63) used previously with HIV-exposed children in this setting (Boivin, Bangirana, Nakasuja, et al, 2013). Likewise, maternal depression as measured with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (Boivin, Bangirana, Nakasujja, et al, 2013; Familiar, Murray, et al, 2016a; Familiar, Nakasujja, et al, 2016) for the present sample of dyads was not exceptional (item average for the 15 depression items; M =0.79, SD =0.53).…”

“…It is likely that maternal/caregiver poor physical health from HIV infection along with emotional distress (e.g., depression), lower caregiver education attainment and the stress of impoverishment can all affect the quality of caregiving (Familiar, Murray, et al, 2016a). These factors can modify how attention processes should best be measured in HEU children such as our present sample (Bass et al, 2016; Familiar, Murray, et al, 2016; Familiar, Nakasujja, et al, 2016). Thus, another limitation of this study is that it could not adequately gauge the degree of attention deficits as we how it pertained to our other cognitive ability and development indicators (e.g., COAT memory and learning, MSEL cognitive development) as they related to the Tobii and webcam ECVT measures.…”

Relationship between the anxiety/depression and care burden of the major caregiver of stroke patients

“…In the present study, the anxiety and depression of the caregivers of the medical insurance payment families were less than those of the self-paid families, suggesting that the economic burden caused by disease is an important influencing factor of the caregiver anxiety and depression. [ 24 ] Carol et al [ 25 ] showed that the length of care time was an important factor influencing the mental state of caregivers. In this study, the length of care time was positively correlated with the anxiety and depression scores.…”

Parenting self‐efficacy in the context of poverty and HIV in Eastern Uganda: A qualitative study

“…In Uganda, the prevalence of HIV was 7.6% among women ages 15 to 64 in 2017 (PHIA Project, ). Adverse effects of caregiver mental health problems on parenting, child health, and caregiver reporting of child development outcomes have been described among female HIV‐affected Ugandan caregivers (i.e., a child's primary caregiver who may or may not be the biological parent) (Familiar, Murray, et al., ; Familiar, Nakasujja, et al., ; Murray et al., ). Parenting self‐efficacy, which also affects parent–child interaction, has received far less attention.…”