Abstract

MARTINS, Alexandra et al. Quality of life in HIV infection: profiles according to the mode of transmission. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2016, vol.17, n.1, pp.07-14. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/16psd170102.

Living with HIV may differ significantly in function of the acquisition mode of HIV. Considering this difference is crucial to avoid one-size-fits-all approaches. The aim of this study was to assess the profiles of quality of life (QoL) according to the mode of HIV transmission and to analyze the domains that contribute to the overall QoL. The sample of this cross-sectional study comprised 1112 HIV-infected patients, recruited at the departments of infectious diseases of 10 Portuguese hospitals. All participants completed the WHOQOL-HIV-Bref questionnaire. The results revealed significant differences in the independence, environment, and spirituality domains, and in the overall facet of QoL. The group that reported HIV acquisition through intravenous drug use (IDU) reported poorer QoL than group of men who have sex with men (MSM) and the group that reported heterosexual transmission. This last group also presented significantly worse QoL in the environment domain and in the overall facet than the MSM group. The psychological and independence domains contributed significantly to the overall QoL of all groups; however, the physical and environment domains were only significant contributors to the overall QoL of IDU and heterosexual transmission groups. The results suggest important differences in function of the category of HIV transmission and reinforce the importance interventions for promoting QoL tailored to the characteristics and needs of these different subgroups of the HIV population.

Keywords : HIV; mode of transmission; quality of life; WHOQOL-HIV-Bref.

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