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Mental health status of clients from three HIV/AIDS palliative care projects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2005

DANIEL KARUS
Affiliation:
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
VICTORIA H. RAVEIS
Affiliation:
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
KATHERINE MARCONI
Affiliation:
Office of Science & Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources & Services Administration, Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland
PETER SELWYN
Affiliation:
Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
CARLA ALEXANDER
Affiliation:
University of Maryland Medical Center, Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, Maryland
BARBARA HANNA
Affiliation:
Health Services Center, Inc., Hobson City, Alabama
IRENE J. HIGGINSON
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care and Policy, King's College London, UK

Abstract

Objective: To describe mental health status and its correlates among clients of three palliative care programs targeting underserved populations.

Methods: Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) scores of clients from programs in Alabama (n = 39), Baltimore (n = 57), and New York City (n = 84) were compared.

Results: Mean MHI-5 scores did not differ among sites and were indicative of poor mental health. Significant differences were noted among sites with regard to client sociodemographics, physical functioning, and perceptions of interpersonal relations. Results of multivariate regression models estimated for each site suggest variation in the relative importance of potential predictors among sites. Whereas poorer mental health was primarily associated with history of drug dependence at Baltimore and more physical symptomatology at New York, better mental health was most strongly correlated with more positive perceptions of interpersonal relationships at Baltimore and increasing age and more positive perceptions of meaning and purpose in life at New York.

Significance of results: The data presented suggest the importance of assessing clients' history of and current need for mental health services. Evidence of a relationship between positive perceptions of meaning and purpose and better psychological function underscores the importance of existential issues for the overall well-being of those who are seriously ill.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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