HIV Status Disclosure And Quality of Life Among Persons Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) Accessing Care at The Volta Regional Hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: Cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is on the rise. However, the availability of antiretroviral drugs has to a larger extent increased the survival of these patients in recent times. The increased survival often presents challenges to the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) mainly due to adverse drug effects and or the prevailing socio-economic and cultural challenges associated with the disease condition. Objective: To ascertain the effects of HIV status disclosure on the quality of life of PLHWA receiving care at the Volta Regional Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional facility-based study involving People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) assessing antiretroviral treatment at the Volta Regional Hospital. Quality of life (QoL) of respondents were assessed using the WHOQOL HIV BREF instrument. Data collated from the field was coded and entered manually into the Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) Version 22. Cleaning of data was carried out by running frequencies for all the variables observed. Data were then imported from SPSS into STATA version – 15 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were determined for measured outcomes reporting frequencies and proportions for categorical outcomes; means and standard deviations for continuous outcomes. Chi-Square test was used to establish the relationship between HIV status disclosure and socio-demographic factors. Welch’s t-test was used to compare mean scores of various domains of QoL. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the adjusted and joint effect of HIV disclosure status on quality of life domains.