Screening anxiety in the HIV clinic.
Individuals with HIV experience fluctuating levels of distress throughout the course of their infection. This cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the prevalence of and associations between anxiety symptoms, sociodemographic, and biomedical markers among individuals presenting for care. A total of 635 individuals were screened, the majority of whom was male and African American. Younger individuals, African Americans, individuals with less education, and those who were unemployed were more likely to express more severe anxiety symptoms. Individuals who were not currently receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) were 1.61 times more likely to experience higher anxiety symptoms. Among individuals receiving ART, higher levels of anxiety were associated with less adherence, higher viral loads and lower CD4 cell counts. Current smokers were 1.66 times more likely to have higher rates of anxiety. When controlling for these significant factors, younger, unemployed, and less educated individuals were more likely to express more severe anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of screening and management of anxiety as an integral component of HIV care.
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, Room 315, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63104, USA. eshacham@slu.edu
Enbal
E
Shacham
Jennifer C
JC
Morgan
Nur F
NF
Önen
Toshibumi
T
Taniguchi
Edgar Turner
ET
Overton
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents