ANXIETY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG CLIENTS ON HAART IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA:A MULTCENTER CROSS -SECTIONAL STUDY

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