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Psychosocial predictors of quality of life among women living with HIV/AIDS: a cross-sectional study in a VCT centre in Shiraz, Iran

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to assess psychosocial predictors of quality of life (QOL) among women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHIV). QOL has been considered as an important indicator in evaluating the outcome of psychological and physical healthcare in people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Methods

This cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2021 to April 2022 at the Voluntary, Counselling, and Testing (VCT) center in Shiraz, Iran. A total of 452 WLHIV were included in this study. Socio-demographic and clinical data, social support (MSPSS questionnaire), food insecurity (HFIAS questionnaire), resilience (CD-RISC questionnaire), mental health status (DASS questionnaire), and QOL (WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire) were collected through direct interviews and patients' files at Shiraz VCT.

Results

Physical and social relationships domains of QOL had the highest (60.48 ± 18.00) and lowest (36.76 ± 23.88) scores, respectively. Higher clinical stage, psychotropic substances use, having a husband infected with HIV, history of hypertension, and higher socioeconomic status had a significant relationship with some domains of QOL. The score of social support, food insecurity, resilience, and mental health status had a significant relationship with all domains of QOL.

Conclusion

Social relationships domain of QOL had the lowest scores in WLHIV. Also, the mental health status of WLHIV was more related to their QOL than the physical status related to HIV/AIDS. Interventions such as improving the mental health care and resilience skills of WLHIV, including their social network in counseling services to promote their social support, could help them to improve their QOL.

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Funding

The research leading to these results received funding from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) under Grant Agreement No [23825].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Scienses, Shiraz, Iran

    Zohre Foroozanfar, Dariush Hooshyar & Hassan Joulaei

  2. HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Zohre Foroozanfar

  3. Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Dariush Hooshyar

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  1. Zohre Foroozanfar
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  3. Hassan Joulaei
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by ZF and DH. Data analysis was performed by ZF. The first draft of the manuscript was written by ZF, HJ, and DH, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hassan Joulaei.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose and the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee approved this study (code: IR.SUMS.REC.1400.379).This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration.

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Participation in this study was voluntary. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Foroozanfar, Z., Hooshyar, D. & Joulaei, H. Psychosocial predictors of quality of life among women living with HIV/AIDS: a cross-sectional study in a VCT centre in Shiraz, Iran. Qual Life Res 33, 1063–1073 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-023-03586-9

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