The Prevalence of Depression Associated with the Infection Status and Sexual Behaviors among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Shenzhen, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To study the prevalence of depression and related factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Shenzhen China. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, convenient sampling was applied to recruit participants at the AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clinic and gay clubs in 2015, thereby collecting data on sociodemographics, serological information, sexual behaviotablers, and depression. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the distribution of the measured variables. A chi-square test was applied to test the association between different levels of factors and depression status, alongside a binary logistic regression for multivariate analysis of depression. Results: A total of 334 MSM completed the survey. Their mean age was 29.88 ± 7.56, and 35.6% had at least college education; 44.9% considered themselves to be homosexual, and 43.4% considered themselves bisexual. The median score of depression was 12, with 116 people (34.7%) depressed. A total of 267 took the serological test. Of these 267, 60 (22.5%) were reported HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus) positive, 33 (12.4%) were syphilis positive, and none were hepatitis C positive. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a lack of awareness of AIDS knowledge (OR(Odds Ratio): 2.636, 95% CI(confidence interval): 1.384–5.020), peer education (OR: 1.752, 95% CI: 1.055–2.190), and lack of heterosexuality (OR: 1.805, 95% CI: 1.080–3.018) increased the odds of depression. Conclusion: Raising awareness of AIDS and strengthening peer education can improve depression among men who have sex with men.

HIV-related stigma, depression and suicidal ideation among HIV-positive MSM in China: a moderated mediation model

“…In other studies, depression was measured by the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), while our research used CES-D 10 to measure depression [45]. The CES-D is usually used as a screen tool in clinical practice and has high sensitivity, which may have led to the higher depression prevalence found in our study [51]. Another reason worth mentioning is that participants in our study might have difficulty gaining access to their antiretroviral medications during the COVID pandemic, and these disruptions to HIV treatment and care services may exacerbate the existing mental health burdens faced by this population [52].…”

Systematic Review of Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence in the WHO Western Pacific Region

“…Refs. [ 10 , 11 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , …”

“…HCV antibody prevalence estimates among the general population or one of the proxy populations were available for 11 countries and territories. The median aggregate quality score of the 31 studies was 19 (range [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Estimates for HCV antibody prevalence among the general population were typically low at ≤1.0%, with the highest prevalence observed in Mongolia (13.6%, Figure 2).…”

Effects of HIV-Related Discrimination on Psychosocial Syndemics and Sexual Risk Behavior among People Living with HIV

“…Research has identified the co-occurrence of different psychosocial problems, including poor mental health, substance use, self-stigma, violence, and social isolation, in HIV-vulnerable populations [19,20]. These psychosocial problems have been consistently found to be interrelated with one another, synergistically enhancing the risk of condomless sex and HIV infection among women [19], racial minorities [20], immigrant workers [21], transgender individuals [22], sex workers [23], and men who have sex with men (MSM) [17,24].…”