Determinants of depression and HIV-related worry among HIV-positive women who have recently given birth, Bangkok, Thailand

HIV-infected pregnant women have been the focus of considerable research related to biomedical issues of mother-to-child transmission worldwide. However, there have been few reports on the psychological well-being of new mothers with HIV, either in developed or developing countries. As part of a perinatal HIV transmission and family impact study in Bangkok, predictors of psychological scales were evaluated from interview data (N=129) collected 18–24 months postpartum. Standardised questionnaires were used to assess depressive symptoms and HIV-related worry. Depressive symptomatology and HIV-related worry were common amongst these women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified several factors that predicted these psychological outcomes. High depression scores were associated with women who were no longer in a relationship with their partner (odds ratio (OR) 5.72, confidence interval (CI) 2.18–14.97) and who used venting coping strategies (OR 2.15, CI 1.44–3.21). Higher levels of HIV-related worry were associated with women whose babies were HIV-infected (OR 3.51, CI 1.28–10.69), who had not disclosed their HIV status to others (OR 3.05, CI 1.29–7.24) and who reported that their HIV-infection was something about which their family would be ashamed (OR 3.44, CI 1.34–9.77). Based on the current findings, intervention strategies we propose are psychological interventions which address disclosure issues, feelings of shame and coping strategies as well as financial assistance for single mothers. Interventions that require few resources such as group counselling or support merit special consideration.