The psychological status of HIV-positive people and their psychosocial experiences in eastern China.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to investigate the psychological status and the psychosocial experiences of HIV-positive people using Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90) in eastern China.


METHODS
Two hundred and fourteen HIV-positive people and 200 controls were recruited to the study. Participants were given an anonymous questionnaire which included questions pertaining to demography, SCL-90 and psychosocial experiences.


RESULTS
The mean subscale scores for SCL-90 in the HIV-positive group were all higher than those of the control group (P<0.001), especially for depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and hostility. Female HIV-positive individuals had significantly higher depression and anxiety scores (P<0.05) and more scores higher than 2.0 than male HIV-positive individuals. The average number of subscales with mean scores higher than 2.0 was 4.1 for female HIV-positive individuals and 3.7 for male HIV-positive individuals. The most common psychosocial experiences related to HIV infection were fear (36.9%) and helplessness (31.8%). 90.2% of HIV-positive people would not tell others about their disease because of fear of discrimination against family members (42.2%), exclusion by community members (26.9%) and abandonment (23.3%). Discrimination from acquaintances (38.8%) was a main stressor in the HIV-positive individuals' daily life. Most members of HIV-positive individuals' communities expressed negative attitudes: alienation, coldness, aversion and fear. 38.3% of the HIV-positive participants reported that their family members had been discriminated against.


CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that HIV-positive people in eastern China live in a negative psychosocial environment and suffer from psychological distress. It is necessary to provide psychological interventions for people living with AIDS and to educate community members in order to improve the psychosocial environment.
Jin
C
C
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China.
Zhao
G
G
Zhang
F
F
Feng
L
L
Wu
N
N
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013240:Stereotyping; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents