Validation of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale among HIV/ AIDS Patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, North-Western Nigeria
Authors
Shehu Sale1, Faisal Saleh Dankishiya1 and Muktar Ahmed Gadanya2 1Department of Psychiatry, 2Department of Community Medicine, Bayero University Kano/Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria
Background: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale is an instrument used for the screening of depression and anxiety. The scale has not been validated for use among HIV/ AIDS patients in Northwestern Nigeria. Aim: The study aimed to validate HAD scale for screening of depression in HIV/AIDS patients in Kano, Northwestern Nigeria. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano in which 250 HIV/AIDS patients were recruited. The depression component of HAD scale was administered to them. Respondents who scored 8 and above on HAD scale were further assessed for depression using the depression module of Composite International Diagnostic Inventory (CIDI). The data was analyzed using SPSS 17.0. Results: Of the patients recruited, 90(36%) had depression using HAD scale while 87 (34.8%) were confirmed using CIDI. HAD scale had sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 98.2%, positive predictive value of 96.7% and negative predictive value of 100%, and accuracy of 98.8%. Conclusion: The HAD scale is a reliable screening tool with high level of precision and validity, and could be reliably used to detect depression among HIV/AIDS patients.
