Hepatitis C Virus Infection as a Traumatic Experience
Open Access
- 23 October 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 9 (10), e110529
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110529
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether individuals consider their HCV infection to be a potentially traumatic experience. Additionally, we investigated its association with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the impact of PTSD diagnosis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in HCV infected subjects. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 127 HCV-infected outpatients recruited at a University Hospital in Salvador, Brazil. All subjects answered an orally-administered questionnaire to gather clinical and socio-demographic data. We investigated traumatic experiences and the subject's perception of the disease using the Trauma History Questionnaire. PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses were assessed through the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Brazilian Version 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I. PLUS). HRQoL was assessed using Short-Form 36 (SF-36). Approximately 38.6% of the patients considered hepatitis C to be a traumatic experience. Of these, 60.7% had a PTSD diagnosis. PTSD was associated with significant impairment in quality of life for individuals in seven SF-36 domains as shown bymultivariate analysis: Role-Physical (β: −24.85; 95% CI: −42.08; −7.61), Bodily Pain (β: −19.36; 95% CI: −31.28; −7.45), General Health (β: −20.79; 95% CI: −29.65; −11.92), Vitality (β: −11.92; 95% CI: −20.74; −3.1), Social Functioning (β: −34.73; 95% CI: −46.79; −22.68), Role-Emotional (β: −26.07; 95% CI: −44.61; −7.53), Mental Health (β: −17.46; 95% CI: −24.38; −10.54). HCV is frequently a traumatic experience and it is strongly associated with PTSD diagnosis. PTSD significantly impaired HRQoL.Keywords
This publication has 56 references indexed in Scilit:
- Age and sharing of needle injection equipment in a cohort of Massachusetts injection drug users: an observational studyAddiction Science & Clinical Practice, 2013
- The Impact of Epidemic Violence on the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, BrazilPLOS ONE, 2013
- Symptoms and Subjective Quality of Life in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Longitudinal StudyPLOS ONE, 2013
- Impact of stigma, culture and law on healthcare providers after occupational exposure to HIV and hepatitis CCulture, Health & Sexuality, 2012
- Hepatitis C virus infection and health-related quality of lifeWorld Journal of Gastroenterology, 2012
- Longitudinal study of PTSD, depression, and quality of life among adolescents after the Parnitha earthquakeJournal of Affective Disorders, 2011
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersPsychiatry Research, 2011
- Functional impairment in adults with past posttraumatic stress disorder: findings from primary careDepression and Anxiety, 2011
- Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosisJournal of Hepatology, 2007
- Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey ReplicationArchives of General Psychiatry, 2005