Abstract:
Introduction: Depression is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. It affects
individuals from all communities across the world. It is the most common psychiatric problem
associated with HIV/AIDS, and a large percentage of all people living with HIV/AIDS and
depression are not diagnosed or treated, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Depression is also an important predictor of worse HIV/AIDS treatment outcomes. However, there
is limited data regarding the actual burden of depression and potential associated factors in this
group of patients in the study area. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of
depression and its associated factors among adult HIV/AIDS patients receiving follow up care at
the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia in 2023.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was employed. Data were collected using an
interviewer-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epi data version 4.6
and exported into SPSS 25 for analysis. Both Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression
analyses were done to identify factors associated with depression. Variables with a p-value ≤ 0.05
in the multivariable logistic regression analysis were declared as significantly associated with
depression.
Results: A total of 398 HIV/AIDS patients with a median age of 42 years participated in this study.
The overall prevalence of depression among the study participants was 31.7% (95%CI: 27.1%,
36.5%). On multivariable logistic analysis, being alone (AOR = 4.994, 95% CI = (2.815,8.858)),
perceived stigma (AOR = 1.928, 95% CI 1.143,3.254), poor adherence to ART (AOR =2.244,
95% CI 1.215,4.144) and monthly income less than 2000 Ethiopian birr (AOR = 2.162, 95%CI
1.105,4.232), were associated with depression.
Conclusion and recommendation: The prevalence of depression among adult HIV/AIDS
patients is significantly high compared to the general population. Being alone, having stigma, nonadherence
and low income were significantly associated with depression among adults with
HIV/AIDS patients. Screening and integrating mental health management in this group of patients
is recommended to avoid negative health outcomes.
