Depression and associated factors among HIV-positive youths attending antiretroviral therapy clinics in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Depression is recognized as a prominent health problem and a growing public health concern in HIV-positive youths. Despite this fact, in Ethiopia, there is a dearth of evidence on the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among HIV-positive youths. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 16 to June 01, 2020, among 331 HIV-positive youths attending antiretroviral therapy clinics in Jimma town. A systematic random sampling technique was used to enroll study participants. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with depression. Variables with a p-value ≤0.25 on the bivariable analysis were candidates for multivariable analysis. Adjusted odds ratios with the respective 95% CI were calculated and p-value <0.05 were used to set statistically significant variables in the multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Out of a total of 331 sampled HIV positive youth, 325 have participated in this study with a response rate of 98.2%. The prevalence of depression was 30.2% (95%CI:25.2%-35.1%). Female sex (AOR = 4.12, 95%CI:2.28–7.47), history of hospital admission (AOR = 2.45, 95%CI:1.28–4.70), discontinued education due to HIV/AIDS illness (AOR = 2.09, 95%CI:1.12–3.90), poor treatment adherence (AOR = 2.23, 95%CI:1.04–4.78), opportunistic infections (AOR = 2.16, 95%CI:1.17–3.97), high baseline viral load (AOR = 3.35, 95%CI:1.82–6.16) and ≤6 months duration of HIV diagnosis (AOR = 3.14, 95%CI: 1.47–5.72) were factors significantly associated with depression. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of depression among HIV-positive youths. Factors such as female sex, treatment non-adherence, opportunistic infections, <six months since diagnosed with HIV, hospitalization history, high baseline viral load, and school discontinuation due to HIV/AIDS were significantly associated with depression. Therefore, we recommend regular screening for depression co-morbidity among HIV-positive youths and linkage with mental health service providers.