“I have the strength to get through this using my past experiences with HIV”: findings from a mixed-method survey of health outcomes, service accessibility, and psychosocial wellbeing among people living with HIV during the Covid-19 pandemic

Marija Pantelic, Kevin Martin, Colin Fitzpatrick, Eileen Nixon, Marc Tweed, William Spice, Martin Jones, Mary Darking, Jennifer Whetham, Jaime H. Vera

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We examined the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the wellbeing and access to care among people living with HIV (PLWH) in the UK. A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was circulated to PLWH attending care at three HIV services in Sussex. The questionnaire covered key themes: socio-demographic characteristics; changes in physical and mental health; accessibility of essential health services and information; and socio-economic concerns. Free-text qualitative responses were examined through framework analysis. Quantitative data from 653 respondents were available, with a subset of 385 free-text qualitative responses. In terms of mental health, 501 (77.6%) respondents reported feeling more anxious; 464 (71.8%) reported feeling more depressed than usual; and 128 (19.8%) reported having suicidal thoughts since the start of the pandemic. Respondents worried about running out of HIV medicine (n = 264, 40.7%); accessing HIV services (n = 246, 38.0%) as well as other health services (n = 408, 63.0%). Widespread resilience was also noted: 537 (83.3%) of respondents felt that living with HIV had equipped them with the strength to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings highlight important gaps between the multifaceted needs of PLWH. Multisectoral collaborations and investments are needed to adequately support PLWH and to build resilience to future shocks within HIV services.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)821-827
Number of pages7
JournalAIDS Care
Volume34
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Sept 2021

Keywords

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Health (social science)

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