TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health of patients with human immunodeficiency virus in Japan
T2 - A comparative analysis of employed and unemployed patients
AU - Omiya, Tomoko
AU - Yamazaki, Yoshihiko
AU - Shimada, Megumi
AU - Ikeda, Kazuko
AU - Ishiuchi-Ishitani, Seiko
AU - Tsuno, Yoko Sumikawa
AU - Ohira, Katsumi
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/11/2
Y1 - 2014/11/2
N2 - In developed countries, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a chronic disease. The aims of this study were to clarify the physical, social, and psychological factors affecting Japanese HIV patients in a stable condition and to identify factors related to mental health of employed and unemployed HIV patients. The target subjects were people with HIV infection who were treated as outpatients at core hospitals for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) treatment in Japan. A questionnaire including items from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was sent to each medical facility with a request for participation from the HIV-infected outpatients. Responses from 1199 patients were analyzed. Mental health was reportedly better in the employed patients than in the unemployed patients. The unemployed patients were more likely to have resigned from their jobs because of poor health, to have resigned voluntarily, or to have been unfairly dismissed. Once the patients stopped working because of HIV, returning to work became difficult. In the employed patients, a good workplace environment was strongly related to lower scores on HADS. Higher HADS scores were recorded for employed patients infected with HIV for six years or more. For the unemployed patients, a relationship was observed between strong feelings of stigmatization and HADS scores. Quitting a job because of an experience related to HIV status may be related to feelings of stigmatization.
AB - In developed countries, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a chronic disease. The aims of this study were to clarify the physical, social, and psychological factors affecting Japanese HIV patients in a stable condition and to identify factors related to mental health of employed and unemployed HIV patients. The target subjects were people with HIV infection who were treated as outpatients at core hospitals for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) treatment in Japan. A questionnaire including items from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was sent to each medical facility with a request for participation from the HIV-infected outpatients. Responses from 1199 patients were analyzed. Mental health was reportedly better in the employed patients than in the unemployed patients. The unemployed patients were more likely to have resigned from their jobs because of poor health, to have resigned voluntarily, or to have been unfairly dismissed. Once the patients stopped working because of HIV, returning to work became difficult. In the employed patients, a good workplace environment was strongly related to lower scores on HADS. Higher HADS scores were recorded for employed patients infected with HIV for six years or more. For the unemployed patients, a relationship was observed between strong feelings of stigmatization and HADS scores. Quitting a job because of an experience related to HIV status may be related to feelings of stigmatization.
KW - Japan
KW - chronic condition
KW - employed and unemployed
KW - mental health
KW - stigma
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U2 - 10.1080/09540121.2014.913765
DO - 10.1080/09540121.2014.913765
M3 - Article
C2 - 24839867
AN - SCOPUS:84905663596
VL - 26
SP - 1370
EP - 1378
JO - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
JF - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
SN - 0954-0121
IS - 11
ER -