Perceived social support, depression and their impact on quality of life of people living with HIV in India.

Universal access to Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) has transformed HIV/AIDS into a chronic disease and issues like social support and Quality of life (QOL) have emerged as important components of care. Perceived social support influences QOL in People Living with HIV (PLHIV), though this has not been studied well in India. PLHIV were assessed for Social Support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and QOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) questionnaire. The factors impacting social support and its effect of on QOL were analysed. Amongst the 109 study subjects, 62 (56.9%) were men, 47 (43.1%) were women, mean age was 35 ± 7.5 years, 85.3% had WHO stage 1 disease and 80 (73.4%) were receiving ART. Only 43.1% subjects perceived high overall social support. Social support (from family/friends/others) was associated positively with physical functioning (p = 0.001), social and cognitive functioning (p = 0.000) and significantly inversely associated with depression (p = 0.002). Higher perceived social support was seen to correlate with higher CD4 count (Peak, Nadir and Current; p < 0.05) and better adherence (p = 0.003). It is concluded that social support, including support from beyond family, have a significant impact on clinical endpoints and QOL in PLHIV.

Quality of life and its determinants among people living with HIV attending an antiretroviral treatment center in Delhi, India.

BACKGROUND: With universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), the management of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) encompasses holistic, comprehensive care. Despite being a vital goal of care, quality of life (QOL) assessment of PLHIV in India is neglected. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the QOL and its determinants among PLHIV accessing services through ART centers. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2015 to February 2017 among 109 PLHIV attending an ART center in New Delhi. Sociodemographic and clinical profile characteristics were ascertained. QoL was evaluated using the medical outcomes study HIV health survey questionnaire; physical health summary (PHS), and mental health summary (MHS) scores were calculated. Depression was evaluated with the becks depression inventory and social support using the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Chi-square test, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance were used as test of significance. RESULTS: The overall QOL was: PHS-48.04 ± 8.27 and MHS 42.43 ± 8.79. PHS scores were significantly higher among PLHIV with older age (P = 0.04), higher formal education (P = 0.022), early HIV disease (P = 0.006), higher CD4 counts (current, peak and nadir: P =0.024, 0.008, and ≤0.001, respectively), receiving ART (P = 0.05), with better social support (P = 0.012) and without depression (P ≤ 0.001). Similarly, MHS scores were better in PLHIV with greater formal education (P = 0.009), early HIV disease (P = 0.046), without depression (P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Depression and social support mechanisms emerged as two key determinants of QOL. Older age, higher education, less advanced disease, and ART were predictive of better QOL.