The present study assessed the effects of psychosocial factors, including stigma, disclosure, depression, and anxiety, on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people living with chronic HBV infection (CHB).

This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study that enrolled 401 patients with chronic HBV infection. Study measures included the Beck depression and anxiety inventory, the WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) assessment, the Toronto Chinese HBV Stigma Scale, and disclosure of HBV status to sexual partners. The primary outcome of this study was HRQoL score, as assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF. The association between HRQoL and the potential risk factors including stigma, disclosure, depression, anxiety, and sociodemographic variables, was determined.

The study included 65.6% females, 81.6% of the participants were married, and 32.4% had a college or higher degree. Depression, anxiety, stigma, and disclosure of HBV infection were shown to be linked to low HRQoL in all four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF - physical, psychological, social, and environmental - when all psychological factors were separately included. Depression had an independent association with low HRQoL in people with HBV, when all psychological factors were simultaneously included in the model.

The findings thus suggest that there is an urgent need to implement psychological interventions in a bid to improve HRQoL among people with CHB.

Source: Li G, Wang G, Hsu F-C, et al. Effects of Depression, Anxiety, Stigma, and Disclosure on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Chronic Hepatitis B Patients in Dalian, China. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 May;102(5):988-994.