Depressão e trauma na infância em pessoas que vivem com HIV: um estudo de coorte transversal

Abstract

PLHIV have a higher frequency than the general population with a history of childhood trauma and it is possible that this fact contributes to the high rates of neuropsychiatric comorbidity in this group, since traumatic experiences in childhood are important risk factors for illness in adulthood. Depression and chronic pain, especially neuropathic pain, are frequent comorbidities among people living with HIV (PLHIV), with prevalence rates between 25% and 36%. This cross-sectional cohort study investigated the correlation between childhood trauma and current symptoms of depression and neuropathic pain in a sample of PLHIV from the Specialized Care Service (SAE) in Dourados, MS. The sample came from a previous cross-sectional study, between the years 2010 and 2012, in which 150 patients, at the time newly diagnosed with HIV infection, had been evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In the current study, 70 patients in this group were found and evaluated in relation to the history of trauma in childhood using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the presence of neuropathic pain through the McGill Questionnaire. The results showed that 50% of the assessed PLHIV had moderate to severe childhood trauma. Symptoms of moderate to severe depression were also present in 50% of the sample. Neuropathic pain was reported by 41.4%. Contrary to expectations, there was no correlation between a traumatic history and a current complaint of pain or depression. However, when comparing the median trauma scores in childhood, higher values were observed in the sexual abuse domain in patients with symptoms of severe depression. There was an association between the viral load value and the degree of depression (p 0.023). First, the results are impressive due to the high prevalence of a history of childhood trauma and symptoms of pain and depression in PLHIV. It is possible that the absence of the expected result of an association between a history of trauma and current symptoms of depression and pain is explained by the small sample size. Despite this, the relationship between severe depression and a history of sexual abuse signals a possible trend, which studies with larger samples and with a longitudinal design could investigate.