Analysis of the Mediation Effects of Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in HIV-Infected Women of Childbearing Age from Multiple Perspectives Including Discrimination Perception

Abstract

Objective

To Analysis of the mediation effects of adverse mental health outcomes in HIV-infected women of childbearing age from multiple perspectives including discrimination perception, social capital, and other factors.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 553 people in Xinjiang region of China using Survey scale. AMOS was used to identify factors that influenced the “discrimination perception/mental resilience/social capital-depression-poor mental health outcomes” pathway.

Results

A total of 44.85% and 42.13% of the study participants had anxiety and depression symptoms, as perceived discrimination increased, the higher the level of depression in HIV-infected women of childbearing age. Correlation coefficient among depression with poor mental health outcomes was also significant. Psychological resilience, social capital and depression have mediating effects on perceived discrimination and poor mental health outcomes, discrimination perception had an indirect effect on depression through social capital and an indirect effect on adverse mental health outcomes through depression and psychological resilience. The modified model has a good fitting effect.

Conclusion

Discrimination perception was shown to affect adverse mental health outcomes by impacting mental resilience, depression, and social capital. The findings suggest the need for measures to reduce adverse mental health outcomes by decreasing discrimination perception, increasing social capital, and enhancing psychological resilience.

Keywords:

• women of childbearing age
• HIV-infected
• psychological resilience
• discrimination perception
• mental health

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all women of childbearing age living with HIV and the researchers who contributed to this study, as well as Science and Technology Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Key Laboratory of HIV Prevention and Control Research of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Disclosure

All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

Our research project was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (ID: 2022D01A30) and the Key Laboratory of HIV Prevention and Control Research of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (ID: XJYS1706-2021002).