Prevalence of and risk factors for depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS receiving antiretroviral treatment in Nigeria

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder (CMD) with significant contributions to the burden of disease. It can lead to high social, economic and individual costs because it accounts for one-third of the days missed at work and a fifth of all primary health-care appointment. Objective: We aimed to explore the prevalence of and risk factors for depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional study evaluating adult PLWHA receiving ART in three designated clinical hospitals was conducted. The validated Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depressive symptoms, ineligible participants. Result: Multinomial regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for depressive symptoms. 348 participants were finally included in all analyses. 40.3% were found to have depressive symptoms with 13.7% having mild depressive symptoms and 26.6% having moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The results of multinomial regression analysis suggested that being married or living with a partner, recent experience of ART-related side effects, and/or history of HCV infection were positively associated with mild depressive symptoms, while increasing age was positively associated with moderate to severe depressive symptoms.