Suicidal behaviors among newly diagnosed people living with HIV in Changsha, China

Newly-diagnosed people living with HIV (NPLWH) are at high risk of suicide. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of suicidal behaviors among NPLWH, and explore the relationships between HIV-related stress, depression, anxiety, and social support and suicidal ideation after diagnosed with HIV infection. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a standard set of questionnaires during 1 March 2013 and 30 September 2014 in the HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing Clinic of the Changsha Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 557 NPLWH, 27.5% (n=153) had lifetime suicidal ideation, and 25.0% (n=139) had suicidal ideation after HIV diagnosis. The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that suicidal ideation after HIV diagnosis was associated with HIV-related clinical symptoms (OR=2.50), HIV-related stress (OR=3.64), the co-morbidity of positive depressive and anxiety symptoms (OR=3.30), and social support (OR=0.52). Overall, the prevalence of suicidal behaviors is high among NPLWH in Changsha emphasizing the need of suicidality monitoring and tracking, depression and anxiety screening, with an additional focus on stress management and social support enhancement in this vulnerable group.