Prevalence of mental distress and factors associated with symptoms of major depression among people living with HIV in Norway

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the study sample (N = 244).

	Total		No symptoms of major depression		Symptoms of major depression
	n = 244		n = 208	(85%)	n = 36	(15%)	p
Demographics
Age (yr), (18–77), mean (SD)	43.8	(11.7)	44.1	(12.3)	42.1	(9.9)	.475
Male, n (%)	130	(53%)	108	(52%)	22	(61%)	.308
Native origin							.032*
African, n (%)	100	(41%)	81	(39%)	19	(53%)	.119
European, n (%)	16	(6.5%)	14	(7%)	2	(6%)
American, n (%)	9	(4%)	6	(3%)	3	(8%)
Asian, n (%)	38	(15.5%)	38	(18%)	0	(0%)
Norwegian, n (%)	81	(33%)	69	(33%)	12	(33%)
Hospital of Southern Norway	108	(44%)	86	(41%)	22	(61%)	.027*
Have children, n (%)	146	(60%)	127	(61%)	19	(53%)	.349
Living alone, n (%)	127	(52%)	103	(50%)	24	(67%)	.057
Unemployed, n (%)	28	(12%)	18	(9%)	10	(28%)	.000*
Low education level <13 yr, n (%)	141	(58%)	116	(56%)	25	(70%)	.125
Smoker, n (%)	71	(29%)	53	(26%)	18	(50%)	.003*
Risk of drug abuse, n (%)	19	(8%)	10	(5%)	9	(25%)	.000*
Risk of alcohol abuse, n (%)	36	(15%)	26	(13%)	10	(30%)	.017*
HIV related
Anti-retroviral treatment, n (%)	228	(93%)	193	(93%)	35	(97%)	.321
HIV viral load >50 copies/mL, n (%)	33	(14%)	30	(14%)	3	(8%)	.324
CD4+ < 0.2 × 10^9/L	16	(7%)	14	(7%)	2	(6%)	.793
CDC 1993 Category B and C, n (%)	57	(23%)	51	(25%)	6	(11%)	.304
HIV-diagnosed (yr), (0–32), mean (SD)	9.4	(8.0)	9.4	(7.3)	9.7	(8.1)	.564
Non-disclosure, n (%)	53	(22%)	40	(19%)	13	(36%)	.023*
Somatic
Hepatitis C antibody, n (%)	28	(11%)	22	(11%)	6	(17%)	.290
Somatic comorbidity, n (%)	54	(22%)	47	(22%)	7	(20%)	.674
Body pain (1–10), mean (SD)	4.2	(3.0)	3.7	(2.9)	6.5	(2.8)	.000*
Psychological
Trouble sleeping, n (%)	63	(26%)	38	(18%)	25	(74%)	.000*
Received psychiatric treatment, n (%)	74	(30%)	51	(25%)	23	(64%)	.000*
Post-traumatic stress disorder, n (%)	16	(7%)	0	(0%)	16	(46%)	.000*
Fatigued, n (%)	93	(38%)	146	(70%)	31	(86%)	.000*
HSCL-25, mean (SD)	1.6	0.6	1.5	0.4	2.6	0.5
HSCL-25_Anxiety, mean (SD)	1.5	0.5	1.4	0.4	2.4	0.6
HSCL-25_Depression, mean (SD)	1.7	0.6	1.5	0.4	2.8	0.6

Notes: Mental health and quality of life among people living with HIV in Northern and Southern Norway, 2014–2015. HSCL-25: Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (range 1–4) performed to identify those at risk of mental distress (n = 76); BDI-II: Beck’s Depression Inventory version 2 (range 0–63); Not major depression: BDI-II <20 or HSCL-25 < 1.75; Major depression: BDI-II ≥20; Southern Hospital of Norway (1) University Hospital of North Norway (0); CD4+: number of T lymphocytes bearing the CD4 + receptor (range 0.1–1.8); Post-traumatic stress disorder: 16-item Post Traumatic Stress Scale >2.5 (range 0–4); Risk of drug abuse: Drug Use Disorder Identification Test >6 (m) and >1 (w) (range 0–44); Risk of alcohol abuse: Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test >8 (m) > 6 (w) (range 0–40); Fatigued: Chalder Fatigue Scale >4 (range 0–11). Continuous variables are presented as the mean and standard deviation (SD) and categorical variables as number and percentage (%). The chi-squared was used to compare differences in categorical variables and Student’s t-test to compare differences in continuous variables.

*Significant at the 5% level.

Table 2. Logistic regression of factors associated with symptoms of major depression (N = 244).

	Crude Odds Ratio			Adjusted Odds Ratio
	OR	95% CI	p	AOR	95% CI	p
African origin	1.75	(0.86, 3.57)	.122	3.90	(1.28, 11.9)	.017*
Hospital of Southern Norway	8.92	(4.76, 16.7)	.000*
Living alone	2.04	(0.97, 4.29)	.061
Unemployed	4.06	(1.69, 9.74)	.002*
Low education level	1.80	(0.84, 3.85)	.129	3.31	(1.18, 9.30)	.023*
Smoker	2.93	(1.42, 6.03)	.004*
Risk of Drug abuse	6.60	(2.46, 17.7)	.001*	15.1	(3.28, 69.3)	.000*
Risk of Alcohol abuse	2.69	(1.17, 6.22)	.020*
Non-disclosure	2.37	(1.11, 5.09)	.023*	3.22	(1.04, 10.0)	.043*
Body pain	7.95	(3.53, 17.9)	.000*
Trouble sleeping	10.2	(4.61, 22.4)	.000*	7.90	(2.85, 21.9)	.000*
Fatigued	14.6	(5.42, 39.3)	.000*	12.5	(3.90, 40.0)	.000*
Constant

Notes: Mental health and quality of life among people living with HIV in Northern and Southern Norway, 2014–2015. OR: crude odds ratio; AOR: adjusted odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; Major depression: Beck’s Depression Inventory version 2 score ≥20, Low education level: < 13 years of school; Body Pain: OR per 1-unit increase (scale 1–10). AOR: forward logistic regression, final step shown.

*Significant at the 5% level.