Depression and sexual risk behavior among long-distance truck drivers at roadside wellness clinics in Kenya

PeerJ

article

Matthew L. Romo¹  Gavin George³  Joanne E. Mantell⁴  Eva Mwai⁵  Eston Nyaga⁵  Michael Strauss³  Jacob O. Odhiambo⁵  Kaymarlin Govender³  Elizabeth A. Kelvin¹ 

[1] Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics & Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York;School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong;Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division, University of KwaZulu-Natal;HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health, New York State Psychiatric Institute & Columbia University Medical Center;North Star Alliance

关键词: Kenya;    Mental health;    Depressive disorder;    Sexual behavior;    Self efficacy;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7253

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Background Truck drivers in sub-Saharan Africa are at high risk for both mental health disorders and sexually transmitted infections. We sought to determine the prevalence of depression among a sample of long-distance truck drivers seeking services at roadside wellness clinics in Kenya and explore the relationship between depression and sexual risk behavior. Methods We used data from an interviewer-administered questionnaire from 284 truck drivers in Kenya who participated in a randomized controlled trial evaluating whether offering oral HIV self-testing could increase HIV test uptake. Depression was categorized based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, with a score ≥10 indicative of probable major depressive disorder (MDD). Sexual risk behavior was operationalized as the number of condomless sex partners in the past 6 months. Results The mean participant age was 36.9 years, 83.0% were married, and 37.0% had a secondary school education or higher. Overall, 24% of participants had probable MDD, and 58.2% reported having one condomless sex partner in the past 6 months, whereas 27.3% reported having had two or more. In a multivariable Poisson regression model adjusted for demographic and other relevant variables, including number of sex partners, MDD was significantly associated with a greater number of condomless sex partners (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.63, 95% confidence interval [1.25–2.12], p < 0.001). General self-efficacy significantly mediated the association between MDD and number of condomless sex partners. Conclusions The high prevalence of depression highlights the need to test the feasibility and acceptability of mental healthcare interventions for this population, possibly integrated with HIV prevention services. Future research is needed to better understand the association between depression and sexual risk behavior, as well as the role of self-efficacy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY