The prevalence of depression among men living with HIV infection in Vietnam.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the prevalence of depression among men living with HIV infection in Vietnam and compared the findings with those from a general population survey of Vietnamese men. METHODS: Between November 2007 and April 2008, 584 participants completed a structured questionnaire in Vietnamese that measured self-reported depression. We used the chi2 test to detect differences in prevalence rates within HIV populations and between our respondents and a general Vietnamese male population. RESULTS: Respondents had a depression rate of 18.7% over a 1-month period, which was substantially higher than that reported in the Vietnamese male population (0.9%). Rates were highest among men reporting higher levels of stress and more HIV symptoms. Men diagnosed with depression experienced significantly more difficulty than others in accessing medical care. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide the first empirical evidence of depression among men living with HIV in Vietnam and underscore the need to include mental health services in the response to HIV.

Author information

Author/s: Esposito, Catherine Anne (CA); Steel, Zachary (Z); Gioi, Tran Minh (TM); Huyen, Tran Trieu Ngoa (TT); Tarantola, Daniel (D);

Affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. esposito.catherine(-atsign-)gmail.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: American journal of public health (Am J Public Health), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 99 Suppl 2 (issue ) : pp S439-44

Dates: Created 2009/10/02; Completed 2009/10/26;

PMID: 19797756, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/26/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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