Quality of life and hostile mentality trend of patients with HIV/AIDS in China

Summary 

Objective

To assess the quality of life (QOL) and hostile mentality trend (HMT) of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in China, and to identify their major concerns.

Study design and methods

Short Form-36 (SF-36) was used to assess QOL, and seven items were developed to assess the HMT. In-depth interviews were conducted with patients and health workers.

Results

SF-36 had moderate reliability, with Cronbach's α coefficients ranging from 0.75 to 0.90 and test–retest correlation coefficients ranging from 0.54 to 0.80 for the eight domains. The item–subscale correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 0.97. The QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS was significantly lower than the average QOL of the general population (P<0.01). Hostile mentality of patients was significant (mean scores of the seven items ranged from 2.87 to 4.32, and the mean sum of scores was 3.45 from a range of 1–5). Cronbach's α coefficient of HMT items was 0.75 and the test–retest correlation coefficient was 0.80. The major concerns of patients with HIV/AIDS were financial insecurity and family responsibilities, followed by the fear of death and no cure for HIV/AIDS.

Conclusion

SF-36 is a reliable instrument for the assessment of QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS. The QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS in China is poor. The HMT is a valuable indicator to monitor the outcomes of care for patients with HIV/AIDS.

Keywords: Quality of life, HIV, SF-36, Hostile mentality trend, China