Description of Psychological Distress and Coping Style in HIV-infected Patients

Abstract

Background: The advancement of HIV infection is linked to a great deal of psychological discomfort. The goal of this study was to see if there was a correlation between psychological distress, depression, coping style, and immunological activation in HIV-positive patients. Objectives: In this study, we analyzed current understandings of depression as well as psychological distress among HIV-infected individuals in West Romania. Materials and Methods: A total of 110 HIV-positive individuals from Timisoara's Clinic of Infectious Diseases took part in the study. Each patient performed a self-report that included the Beck depression inventory (BDI), the perceived stress scale (PSS), and the brief orienting to the problems experienced (Brief- COPE) scale.CD4 cell counts and viral load were used to track immune activation (VL). Results: BDI scores indicating moderate depression were found in 26% of the study participants, whereas severe depression was found in 3%. Furthermore, 24.5 percent of the patients had PSS values above 10.Higher levels of depression correlated with lower CD4 cells counts (r = 0.275, p<0.004) and with higher VL (r = 0.211, p < 0.027).  Self-blaming had a negative relationship with CD4, whereas behavioural disengagement had a good relationship with VL. Conclusion: Increased depression, combined with increased levels of perceived psychological distress, leads to maladaptive coping patterns linked to HIV infection progression.