Health-related quality of life of patients with HIV:: Impact of sociodemographic, clinical and psychosocial factors

Objectives: This study aims to analyse how a wide group of clinical, social, demographic and psychological factors are related to both physical and mental quality of life in HIV+ patients. Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out of 320 HIV+ patients in antiretroviral treatment who attended infectious diseases units in four hospitals in the region of Andalusia (Spain). Methods: Health-Related Quality of Life was measured by the MOS-HIV. Included as independent variables were: sociodemographic variables, variables related to antiretroviral therapy, psychosocial variables like social support (Duke-UNC-11) and psychological morbidity (GHQ-28), variables related to main risk behaviours and clinical variables. Results: In the multiple linear regression analysis, a better PHS quality of life was found to be associated with the absence of mental illness, social support, not being an intravenous drug user and using more than one type of non-injectable drug. A better quality of life, in mental terms, was found to be associated with fewer years as a non-intravenous drug user, having social support, absence of mental illness, not being an intravenous drug user taking only one additional pill, not having any difficulty in taking the medication, and being female. Conclusions: The study of other non-biological factors that may be related to quality of life has been limited practically to social support and the emotional state. This study highlights the importance of these factors independently from the clinical state, as well as the existence of other psychological and behavioural factors that are also related.