Relationship of psychological morbidity and quality of life to illness-related disclosure among HIV-infected persons

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between HIV-related disclosure and quality of life, anxiety and depression among HIV-infected subjects in South India. Methodology: 68 subjects (35 men and 33 women) were assessed for quality of life and psychological morbidity using WHOQOL-BREF and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Details of disclosure were collected using a semi-structured interview. Results: Certain disclosure-related variables appear to relate significantly with quality of life among HIV-infected persons. A positive outcome related to disclosure and extent to which a subject felt the need to disclose were significantly associated with higher scores on the total quality of life measure and in the social and environmental domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. No relationship was found between disclosure-related variables and psychological morbidity or other domains of quality of life. The type of disclosure (voluntary/without consent) did not appear to influence quality of life in this sample. Conclusion: Disclosure-related variables may have an important influence on QOL in the context of HIV infection in India. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.