Willingness and acceptability of anxiety and depression screening among women living with HIV in Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Integration of related health services, such as screening of depression in HIV care is crucial for improving the quality of care and enhancing the use of scarce resources in developing countries. However, commonly these interrelated health services are commonly provided separately and there are many missed opportunities. Little is known about the client-related non-implementation issues. This study aims at examining the acceptability of anxiety and depression screening among women living with HIV. Material and methods: This was a facility based cross-sectional study which included women living with HIV attending two hospitals in Jijiga town, Ethiopia. The study participants were identified using systematic random sampling method. An exit interview was conducted with the use of a pretested questionnaire. The gathered data was analysed using SPSS version 23 and multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with the factors associated with the acceptance of anxiety and depression screening. Results: A total of 409 women participated in this study. Though, only 115 (28.1%) were aware about the existence of anxiety and depression screening, 357 (87.3%) accepted to receive the screening for anxiety and depression. Requisite of partner approval was the most common reason for not accepting the screening of anxiety and depression 21 (40.4%). When used multivariate logistic regression model; holding college level education, divorced and were living without partner, being self employed by occupation, aware of the existing screening service, source of information from health care providers and history of previous screening were significantly associated with acceptance of depression screening. Conclusion: This research has shown that women participant living with HIV were willing to undergo the screening for depression, hence future interventions should focus on the integration of mental health screening in HIV clinical setup. Key words: Depression, HIV, AIDS, acceptability, screening.