An Epidemiologic Study On Suicide Ideation And Atempts Among People Living With HIV/AIDS

Objective: This study was designed to explore the occurrence, the timing of onset distribution and risk factors of suicide ideation and attempts in order to provide scientific evidence for crisis Intervention in HIV voluntary counseling and testing and services.Methods: Three hundred forty-two HIV-positive persons completed a questionnaire and psychiatric diagnosis by face-to-face interview that obtained information about emograp -hic information , suicide and HIV infection related factors, including the time of onset of suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, drug use, first HIV-positive notification, AIDS diagnosis and suicide attempt and so on. The time of suicidal ideation and attempted for each subject was divided into 4 stages, namely prior to HIV notification, in first 3 months after HIV notification but prior to AIDS diagnosis, more than 3 months after HIV notification but prior to AIDS diagnosis, and after AIDS diagnosis. The rates of suicidal ideation, attempted suicide in each stage were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk of suicide ideation and attempts.Results: Lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts among HIV-positive persons were 29.5 %( 101/342) and13.7 %( 47/342) separately. The 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide were 29.5 %( 101/342) and 3.8 %( 13/342) separately. The occurrence of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide vary for different periods. Compared with people living with HIV/AIDS without suicidal ideation in past 12 months, binary logistic regression analyses identified AIDS diagnosis(OR=3.4, 95% CI 1.7～6.7), aggression(OR=2.7, 95% CI 1.5～4.9), major depression(OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.3～2.4), negative life events(OR=2.4, 95% CI 1.3～4.2) and history of attempted suicide(OR=3.7, 95% CI 1.5～8.8) as positive factors predicting suicidal ideation in past 12 months among HIV-positive persons. Multinomial logistic regression analyses identified history of intravenous drug use(OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.1～4.1), AIDS diagnosis( OR=2.7, 95% CI 1.3～5.4), major depression(OR=3.4, 95% CI 1.8～6.7) as positive factors factors predicting suicidal ideation. Multinomial logistic regression analyses identified AIDS iagnosis(OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.2～6.9), major depression(OR=4.2, 95% CI 1.9～9.5), aggression(OR=4.7, 95% CI 2.0～11.1), and negative life events(OR=3.7, 95% CI 1.7～7.9) as positive factors factors predicting attempts suicide among HIV-positive persons.Conclusions: People with HIV positive have high risk for suicide ideation and attempts, Suicide crisis intervention should be carried out in HIV voluntary counseling and testing and services among people living with HIV/AIDS. especially in those who have history of major depression, aggression, and experienced more negative life events and the approaching period of AIDS diagnosis.