Adedimeji, Adebola A.,Anastos, Kathryn,Cohen, Mardge H.,Gard, Tracy L.,Hoover, Donald R.,Mutimura, Eugene,Shi, Qiuhu
The impact of HIV status, HIV disease progression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms on the health-related quality of life of Rwandan women genocide survivors
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York Medical College, Rush University, Rutgers State University, Yeshiva University, Kigali Hlth Inst
"Cohen, Mardge H.: Rush University","Hoover, Donald R.: Rutgers State University","Shi, Qiuhu: New York Medical College",
We examined whether established associations between HIV disease and HIV disease progression on worse health-related quality of life (HQOL) were applicable to women with severe trauma histories, in this case Rwandan women genocide survivors, the majority of whom were HIV-infected. Additionally, this study attempted to clarify whether post-traumatic stress symptoms were uniquely associated with HQOL or confounded with depression.
The Rwandan Women's Interassociation Study and Assessment was a longitudinal prospective study of HIV-infected and uninfected women. At study entry, 922 women (705 HIV+ and 217 HIV-) completed measures of symptoms of post-traumatic stress and HQOL as well as other demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics.
Even after controlling for potential confounders and mediators, HIV+ women, in particular those with the lowest CD4 counts, scored significantly worse on HQOL and overall quality of life (QOL) than did HIV- women. Even after controlling for depression and HIV disease progression, women with more post-traumatic stress symptoms scored worse on HQOL and overall QOL than women with fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms.
This study demonstrated that post-traumatic stress symptoms were independently associated with HQOL and overall QOL, independent of depression and other confounders or potential mediators. Future research should examine whether the long-term impact of treatment on physical and psychological symptoms of HIV and post-traumatic stress symptoms would generate improvement in HQOL.
HIV,"post-traumatic stress disorder","QUALITY OF LIFE",RWANDA,WOMEN,"ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY",DEPRESSION,DISORDER,INFECTION,PEOPLE,PREDICTORS,RAPE,SOUTH,TRAUMA,WORLD