Psychological distress and self-management behaviours among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy

Aims To assess the prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy and explore the association between psychological distress and self-management behaviours among this population. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods A convenience sample of 188 patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy was recruited from March-October 2018 to complete a self-report questionnaire including the Chinese version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and Chronic Hepatitis B Self-Management Scale. Logistic regression analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to determine the factors associated with psychological distress and the association between psychological distress and self-management behaviours respectively. Results The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 33.0%, 38.3% and 17.6% respectively. Depression was associated with older age, female gender, lower education level and longer treatment duration; anxiety was associated with female gender and longer treatment duration; and stress was associated with age of 31-40 years, female gender and unmarried status. There were significant associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and self-management behaviours. Conclusion Psychological distress was prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy and had a negative impact on self-management. Interventions targeting depression and anxiety symptoms may be beneficial to improve self-management behaviours for this population. Impact This study explored the factors associated with psychological distress in patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy. The findings showed psychological distress was more common in patients who were with older age, female, less educated, unmarried and receiving longer duration of treatment and psychological distress was significantly associated with self-management behaviours. Nurses and other healthcare providers should provide interventions to reduce the risk of psychological distress and improve self-management behaviours for this population.