Abstract:
Anxiety is unpleasant feeling of fear, apprehension and nervousness without any
apparent stimulus. Anxiety is one of the co-morbidities that are often overlooked in treating
patients of (HIV/AIDS).Anxiety is higher among people with HIV/AIDS than the general
population. Few studies had conducted on prevalence and factors associated with anxiety in
people receiving antiretroviral treatment, and limited evidences are available on its associated
factors. This study will fills the particular research gap by simultaneously assessing the
pevalence of anxiety and impact of different factors on anxiety among ART clients.
Objective: To asses prevalence and associated factors of anxiety among clients on HAART in
public hospitals of southern Ethiopia from June 1-30, 2021
Methods: Institutional based cross -sectional study was conducted in public hospitals of southern
Ethiopia. Simple random sampling method was used to recruit study participants. Data collection
was done by using the structured questionnaire regarding medical data related to HIV/AIDS.
Seven items of HADS was also used to measure the anxiety level. Oslo social support scale and
perceived stigma scale was used to measure social support and stigma respectively; Bivariate and
multivariate logistic regression were computed with 95% CI to identify different explanatory
variables. Significance was declared at p<0.05. Multi collinearity was cheeked by variance
inflation factors and Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to cheek model fitness.
Results: Prevalence of anxiety among clients on HAART in selected public hospitals of
southern Ehiopia was found to be 25.6%. Females (AOR=3.24, 95% CI [1.32, 7.97]), widowed
(AOR=5.47, 95% CI [1.08, 29.72], monthly income 1425-2280 ETB (AOR=7.29, 95% CI [2.55,
20.88]), comorbid conditions (AOR=5.47, 95% CI [1.92, 15.62]), perceived stigma (AOR=8.34,
95% CI [3.49, 19.91]) were factors associated with anxiety.
Conclusion: From the finding of this study, prevalence of anxiety was found to be one-fourth on
people living with HIV at Wachemo University comprehensive specialized hospital, Worabe
comprehensive specialized hospital and Butajira general hospital ART clinic. Being female,
widowed, medium income, comorbid condition and perceived stigma were significantly
associated with anxiety.This findings highlight the importance of screening and treatment of
anxiety as an integral component of HIV care
