Health-related quality of life and its related factors in HIV+ patients referred to Shiraz Behavioral Counseling Center, Iran in 2012

 Background: HIV/AIDS is known to affect an individual not only physically but also mentally, socially, and financially. It is a syndrome that builds a vacuum in a person affecting his/her life as a whole. Nowadays, using anti-viral medication delays the onset of the disease cycle and increases the patients’ life time. From the psychological point of view, however, such patients are faced with a great number of social and cultural limitations which affect various dimensions of their health as well as quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the quality of life and its related factors in HIV patients in Shiraz Behavioral Counseling Center. Methods: The present analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 129 HIV patients in Shiraz Behavioral Counseling Center who were selected through convenience sampling. The data were gathered using demographic as well as SF-36 questionnaires and analyzed through T-test, ANOVA, X2, and Schiff's post hoc test. Results: In this study, the patients’ mean score of quality of life was 48.8+14. In addition, the mean scores of males’ and females’ life quality were 47.7+16.2 and 59.5+20.4, respectively and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean difference of the patients’ quality of life was also found to be significant based on employment status, marital status, and history of drug abuse (p<0.05), while it was not significant regarding age, level of education, length of disease, and the distance between the house and the service providing center. Conclusion: In comparison to the physical dimension, the HIV-positive individuals’ quality of life mean score was lower in the mental dimension. In addition, the mean difference revealed to be significant based on marital as well as employment status. These findings show such patients’ needs for psychological support, more psychological interventions, and creation of appropriate job opportunities.