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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0094

Psychiatric comorbidity, traumatic experiences, and coping among people living with HIV: A cross-sectional study of post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety in Tanzania

MENTAL DISORDER COMORBIDITY, TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES, AND COPING AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN TANZANIA

Among 379 adults living with HIV in Tanzania, 28.3% were found to have at least one mental health condition, 97% reported at least one traumatic experience, and coping was predominantly emotion-focused and avoidant.

The study aimed to determine the prevalence and comorbidity rates of post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression, anxiety, and passive and active suicidal ideation (SI), as well as the types of traumatic experiences and preferred coping styles, among adults living with HIV in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The study used a cross-sectional survey design and recruited 379 adults living with HIV from two HIV clinics affiliated with tertiary healthcare facilities; measures included the PCL-5, PHQ-9, Brief Symptom Inventory anxiety subscale (BSI-6), a reworded version of PHQ-9 item 9 for passive suicidal ideation, a single-item C-SSRS screen for active suicidal ideation, the Brief COPE for preferred coping styles, and the SLESQ for stressful life events (SLE). Prevalence rates were as follows: PTS 10.6% (n=40), depression 9% (n=35), anxiety 13.5% (n=53), passive suicidal ideation 13.8% (n=52), active suicidal ideation 3.7% (n=14), and any condition 28.3% (n=107). Comorbidity rates were 4 in 10 for PTS and depression (p<0.001), 1 in 2 for PTS and anxiety (p<0.001), 1 in 3 for PTS and passive suicidal ideation (p<0.001), and 1 in 13 for PTS and active suicidal ideation (p=0.13). A total of 367 participants (97%) reported at least one traumatic experience; the three most common experiences were life-threatening illness or injury (n=298), traumatic separation or divorce (n=205), and the sudden death of a loved one (n=101). The highest-scoring coping strategies were emotion-focused: religion (2.42/3) and acceptance (mean 2.33/3), followed by self-distraction (2.31/3), an avoidant coping style. In conclusion, prevalence and significant comorbidity rates were high, exposure to stressful life events was very high, and problem-focused coping strategies were underused; the authors recommend transdiagnostic or common-elements interventions and strengthening the integration of mental health services into HIV care.

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