Mental health and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among Mexican people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The mental health and medical follow-up of people living with HIV (PLWH) have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to assess anxiety, depression and substance use in Mexican PLWH during the pandemic; to explore the association of these symptoms with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to compare patients with and without vulnerability factors (low socioeconomic level, previous psychological and/or psychiatric treatment). METHODS: We studied 1259 participants in a cross-sectional study, PLWH receiving care at the HIV clinic in Mexico City were contacted by telephone and invited to participate in the study. We included PLWH were receiving ART; answered a structured interview on sociodemographic data and adherence to ART; and completed the psychological instruments to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms and substance use risk. Data collection was performed from June 2020 to October 2021. RESULTS: 84.7% were men, 8% had inadequate ART adherence, 11% had moderate-severe symptoms of depression, and 13% had moderate-severe symptoms of anxiety. Adherence was related to psychological symptoms (p < 0.001). Vulnerable patients were more likely to be women, with low educational level and unemployed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is important to address mental health of PLWH during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the most vulnerable individuals. Future studies are needed to understand the relationship between mental health and ART adherence.

Measuring confidence in physician: Adaptation and validation of TPS in HIV individuals from Mexico / Evaluar confianza en el médico: Adaptación y validación del Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) en personas mexicanas que viven con VIH

Abstract Introduction Patient-physician relationship is associated with ART adherence and medical follow-up in people living with HIV (PLWH). Patient's trust in their doctor is a key component of patient-physician relationship, so adequate and reliable instruments to measure this component are important to evaluate its impact on health outcomes. Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of a translated and adapted version of Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) in Mexican PLWH. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out in PLWH. Scale was translated to Spanish and culturally adapted. Sociodemographic and TPS data were collected online due to COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis were carried out in two different samples. Results Data from 215 participants was used to EFA. Five items were eliminated due to low correlation with total scale. Final Cronbach's alpha was .93. A single-factor structure explained 68.8% of the variance. CFA in a sample of 140 participants confirmed adequate fit indices (χ2[7] = 13.015 p = .072, CFI = .997, RMSEA = .057, SMRS = .0015). Discussion and conclusion The final scale was unifactorial and it is made up of six items instead of 11. It seems to be a valid and reliable scale to measure patient's trust in doctors in Mexican PLWH. Further studies are recommended to provide evidence of convergent validity to the instrument.

Resumen Introducción La relación médico-paciente está asociada a la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral y al seguimiento médico en las personas que viven con VIH (PVVS). La confianza de los pacientes en sus médicos es un componente clave de la relación médico-paciente, por lo que es importante disponer de instrumentos adecuados y fiables para medir este componente y evaluar su impacto en los resultados de salud. Objetivo Evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de una versión traducida y adaptada de la Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) en PVVS mexicanas. Método Se realizó un estudio transversal en adultos con VIH. La escala fue traducida al español y adaptada culturalmente. Los datos sociodemográficos y de la TPS se recogieron en línea debido a la pandemia de COVID-19. Se realizaron análisis factoriales exploratorios (AFE) y confirmatorios (AFC) en dos muestras diferentes. Resultados Se utilizaron los datos de 215 participantes para el AFE. Se eliminaron cinco ítems debido a la baja correlación con la escala total. El alfa de Cronbach final fue de .93. Una estructura unifactorial explicó el 68.8% de la varianza. El AFC en una muestra de 140 participantes confirmó la adecuación del modelo mostrando índices de ajuste adecuados (χ2[7] = 13.015 p = .072, CFI = .997, RMSEA =.057, SMRS = .0015). Discusión y conclusión La escala final fue unifactorial y se compuso de seis ítems en lugar de 11. Parece ser una escala válida y fiable para medir la confianza del paciente en los médicos en PVVS mexicanas. Se recomiendan más estudios para buscar evidencia de validez convergente del instrumento.

Clinical Follow-Up in People Living with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.

Clinical follow-up in people living with HIV (PLWH) has individual and public health implications. The objectives of this study were to measure variables related to follow-up failures, identify self-reported reasons to maintain adequate follow-up or for having follow-up failures, and know how the pandemic influenced patients' clinical follow-up. Participants were PLWH receiving HIV-health care at a hospital-based clinic in Mexico City which became an exclusive COVID-19 health service. Participants completed a telephone semi-structured interview and online psychological questionnaires. Lower educational and socioeconomic level, longer times of transportation to the clinic, being attended by different doctors, detectable viral load, having previous dropouts, inadequate antiretroviral adherence, and less HIV knowledge were related to follow-up failures. COVID-19 had a significant negative impact, but it also had positive repercussions for patients with adequate follow-up. These results could help develop effective psychosocial programs and improve healthcare in institutions to facilitate patient retention.

RESUMEN: El seguimiento clínico en las personas que viven con VIH (PVV) tiene implicaciones individuales y de salud pública. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron medir las variables relacionadas con las fallas en el seguimiento, identificar las razones reportadas para mantener un seguimiento adecuado o para tener fallas en el seguimiento, y conocer cómo la pandemia influyó en el seguimiento clínico de los individuos. Los participantes eran PVV que recibían atención médica para el VIH en una clínica hospitalaria de Ciudad de México que se convirtió en un servicio exclusivo para COVID-19. Los participantes completaron una entrevista semiestructurada por teléfono y cuestionarios psicológicos en línea. El nivel educativo y socioeconómico más bajo, mayor tiempo de transporte a la clínica, falta de continuidad del médico, carga viral detectable, tener abandonos previos, inadecuada adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral y menor conocimiento del VIH se relacionaron con las fallas en el seguimiento. La pandemia demostró tener un importante impacto negativo, pero también tuvo repercusiones positivas para los pacientes con un seguimiento adecuado. Estos resultados son importantes para desarrollar programas psicosociales eficaces y mejorar la atención sanitaria en las instituciones para facilitar la retención de los pacientes.