Predicting the Antiretroviral Medication Adherence and CD4 Measure in Patients with HIV/AIDS Based on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy has significantly reduced the prevalence of diseases and mortality rate caused by HIV; therefore, recognition of the factors affecting the antiretroviral therapy is of great importance. We aimed to investigate the relationship between antiretroviral medication adherence and CD4 with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in patients with HIV. METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative, and correlational study. The statistical population included all of the patients with HIV in Shiraz, Fars Province, southwest of Iran in 2013, of whom 220 were selected from the Behavioral Diseases Consultation Center using the convenience sampling method. The measures included Mississippi Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire, Beck-II Depression, and ACTG Adherence (ACTG). The results were analyzed using the Pearson correlation method and stepwise hierarchical multivariate regression. RESULTS: Regression analysis showed that of two mediating variables (age & educational level), only age could predict 5% (P<0.001) and of two predictive variables (depression & PTSD) only PTSD could predict 53% (P<0.001) of medication adherence's variance. Moreover, of two mediating variables (age & disease duration), only age could predict 3% (P<0.004) and of two predictive variables (depression & PTSD) only PTSD could predict 4% (P<0.001) of CD4 variance. CONCLUSION: The posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms could predict the medication non-adherence and lower CD4 levels.