Exploring core mental health symptoms among persons living with HIV: A network analysis

Shuyu Han; Yizhu Zhang; Xianxia Yang; Ke Li; Lili Zhang; Ying Shao; Jianhong Ma; Yan Hu; Zheng Zhu; Yukun Zhang; Zhiwen Wang

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1081867

Exploring core mental health symptoms among persons living with HIV: A network analysis

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 20:14:1081867. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1081867. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shuyu Han¹, Yizhu Zhang¹, Xianxia Yang², Ke Li³, Lili Zhang⁴, Ying Shao⁵, Jianhong Ma⁵, Yan Hu⁶, Zheng Zhu⁶, Yukun Zhang⁶, Zhiwen Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
³ Department of Emergency, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Nursing, Beijing Youan Hospital Affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Infection, Beijing Youan Hospital Affiliated With Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁶ School of Nursing, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Context: Persons living with HIV (PLWH) commonly experience mental health symptoms. However, little is known about the core mental health symptoms and their relationships.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of various mental health symptoms and to explore their relationships in symptom networks among PLWH.

Methods: From April to July 2022, we recruited 518 participants through convenience sampling in Beijing, China, for this cross-sectional study. Forty mental health symptoms, including six dimensions (somatization symptoms, negative affect, cognitive function, interpersonal communication, cognitive processes, and social adaptation), were assessed through paper-based or online questionnaires. Network analysis was performed in Python 3.6.0 to explore the core mental health symptoms and describe the relationships among symptoms and clusters.

Results: Of the 40 mental health symptoms, the most common symptoms were fatigue (71.2%), trouble remembering things (65.6%), and uncertainty about the future (64.0%). In the single symptom network, sadness was the most central symptom across the three centrality indices (r_S = 0.59, r_C = 0.61, r_B = 0.06), followed by feeling discouraged about the future (r_S = 0.51, r_C = 0.57, r_B = 0.04) and feelings of worthlessness (r_S = 0.54, r_C = 0.53, r_B = 0.05). In the symptom cluster network, negative affect was the most central symptom cluster across the three centrality indices (r_S = 1, r_C = 1, r_B = 0.43).

Conclusion: Our study provides a new perspective on the role of each mental health symptom among PLWH. To alleviate the mental health symptoms of PLWH to the greatest extent possible and comprehensively improve their mental health, we suggest that psychological professionals pay more attention to pessimistic mood and cognitive processes in PLWH. Interventions that apply positive psychology skills and cognitive behavioral therapy may be necessary components for the mental health care of PLWH.

Keywords: AIDS; HIV; mental health symptom; network analysis; symptom management.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science Project (22YJCZH044), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M710258), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72204006).