Perceived Social Support and its Association with Depression Among Patients Infected with HIV: A Hospital Based Study in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

The chronicity of HIV infection predisposes the infected to mental health problems such as depression that demand a need for social support. The perception of social support is key to its beneficial effects. This study aimed to assess the level of perceived social support and its association with depression among patients infected with HIV in a hospital in Jos, Nigeria. In a cross-sectional study, 386 participants selected by systematic random sampling were interviewed to obtain their sociodemographic information, and they were assessed for perceived social support and depression using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the PHQ-9 Questionnaire respectively. Data was analysed using Epi info version 7. Half the proportion of participants (50.5%) had a moderate level of perceived social support, while 39.9% and 9.6% had low and high levels of perceived social support respectively. Female gender, age ≥ 45 years, absence of a history of being affiliated with a HIV support group, low educational status, low income, unemployment and shorter duration of known HIV diagnosis were negatively associated with lower levels of perceived social support. The prevalence of depression was 32.6%, and lower levels of perceived social support were significantly associated with depression. The results suggest gaps in the social support needs of the participants. This highlights a need for interventions aimed at improving the perception of social support among people living with HIV. Further studies are needed to identify those unmet needs so as to device strategies to address them in order to close the gaps in perception and enhance mental health in HIV care.