Risks and Predictors of Current Suicidality in HIV-lnfected Heroin Users in Treatment in Yunnan, China:A Controlled Study

摘要

Objective: Suicide is an important public health problem in China. Elsewhere, injection drug use and HIV infection have independently been associated with suicidality, but research has often overlooked these high-risk groups in China. We determined the frequency and predictors of suicidal ideas in Chinese HIV-infected (HIV~+) and HIV-uninfected (HIV~-) heroin injection drug users (IDUs) in treatment and a control sample. We hypothesized that rates of suicidal ideas would be significantly higher among IDUs compared with controls and highest among HIV~+ IDUs.Method: We assessed suicidal ideas within the past 2 weeks in HIV~+ (n = 204) and HIV~- (n = 202) heroin IDUs in methadone treatment in Yunnan, a province at the intersection of the heroin and HIV epidemics, and in demographically matched HIV~-non-drug-using controls (n = 201).