Longitudinal psychosocial adjustment of women to human papillomavirus infection

Aim The aim of this study was to examine the psychosocial adjustment trajectory, focusing on psychological distress, sexual relationships and healthcare information, and factors which have an impact on adjustment on receiving a positive diagnosis of human papillomavirus infection. Background Human papillomavirus is a common sexually transmitted infection in females. To date, knowledge of the longitudinal psychosocial response to the diagnosis of human papillomavirus is limited. Design A prospective longitudinal design was conducted with a convenience sample. Methods Women aged 20–65 years old were followed at one, 6 and 12 months after a diagnosis of HPV. Participants completed measures of initial emotional distress and followed up psychosocial adjustment. A mixed‐effects model was applied to analyse the longitudinal changes in psychosocial adjustment. Results Seventy human papillomavirus positive women participated in the study with nearly 20% of the women reporting emotional distress during their first visit. Mixed‐effects model analyses showed that a trajectory of psychosocial adjustment in healthcare orientation, sexual relationship and psychosocial distress occur from one to 6 months after HPV diagnosis. However, a declining trend from 6 to 12 months was significant in healthcare orientation. Initial emotional distress was associated with changes in psychological adjustment. Conclusions Psychosocial adjustment to human papillomavirus was worse at 1 month compared with 6 and 12 months after diagnosis. Healthcare providers should offer health information and psychosocial support to women according to their disease progression. 目标 本研究的目的是检查社会心理调节轨迹,重点关注心理困扰、两性关系和医疗保健信息,以及对接受人乳头瘤病毒阳性诊断有影响的因素。 背景 在女性中,人乳头瘤病毒是常见的性传播感染疾病。迄今为止,对人乳头瘤病毒诊断的纵向社会心理反应的了解是有限的。 设计 使用便利样本进行了预期的纵向设计。 方法 在人乳头瘤病毒确诊后1、6和12个月对20‐65岁的女性进行随访。受试者接受了初始情绪困扰的评定并随后进行了社会心理调节。应用混合效应模型来分析社会心理调节的纵向变化。 结果 70名人乳头瘤病毒呈阳性的妇女参加了这项研究,近20%的妇女在第一次就诊时便报告了情绪困扰。混合效应模型分析显示,人乳头瘤病毒确诊后1至6个月,在医疗、两性关系和社会心理困扰方面出现了社会心理调节迹象。然而,在医疗方面,确诊后6至12个月之间的社会心理调节下降趋势显着。最初的情绪困扰与心理调节的变化有关。 结论 与确诊后6个月和12个月相比,人乳头瘤病毒的社会心理调节在确诊后1个月时更差。医疗服务提供者应根据疾病进展情况为女性提供健康信息和社会心理支持。