Depression among persons attending a HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic in Kingston, Jamaica
Clarke, T.R.; Gibson, R.C.; Barrow, G.; Abel, W.D.; Barton, E.N.
West Indian Medical Journal 59(4): 369-373
2010
ISSN/ISBN: 0043-3144 PMID: 21355510 Document Number: 625282
To determine the prevalence of depression among persons attending a HIV/AIDS clinic in Kingston, Jamaica, and to explore the possible role of patient-specific clinical and social issues as intermediary factors in the relationship between HIV/AIDS and depression. Over a three-month period, all eligible and consenting patients from a HIV/ AIDS clinic in Kingston, Jamaica, were invited to participate in the study. They were interviewed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), an instrument validated for the detection of depression in primary care settings. Clinical and socio-demographic data were retrieved for all participating patients from a pre-existing clinic database. Depression prevalence rates were calculated and the association between depression and age, gender, antiretroviral treatment, CD4 count, living arrangement, marital status and major stressors explored. Sixty-three patients participated in the study and 43% (n = 36) of them were depressed. No significant differences in depression rates were found with respect to any of the sociodemographic or clinicalfactors explored (p > 0.05). The relatively high prevalence of depression among attendees at the HIV/AIDS clinic underscores the need for depression screening in these patients.