OBJECTIVETo assess the quality of life (QOL) and hostile mentality trend (HMT) of 299 patients living with HIV/AIDS (Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in three provinces in China, and to understand the major concerns of the these patients.

METHODSThe SF-36 (short form -36) was used for assessing the QOL among 299 HIV-infected patients in Sichuan, Hubei and Guizhou provinces. Reliability and validity of SF-36 were evaluated. Consulting with experts and professionals, seven additional items were developed to evaluate the HMT. Mean scores of the 8 scales were compared between the patients and general rural residents in Sichuan province.

RESULTSFor SF-36, internal consistent coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of the 8 scales were between 0.75 to 0.90, test-retest reliability coefficient ranged from 0.54 to 0.80. The item-subscale correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 0.97. Mean scores of the 8 scales of the patients ranged from 28.50 to 77.87, and 70.27 to 91.87 for the general rural residents. The variations of the scales were tested by means of Mann-Whitney test with u value ranged from -17.43 to -23.87. The QOL of the patients living with HIV/AIDS were significantly inferior to those of general population (all P < 0.01). The mean scores of the seven items to evaluate HMT ranged from 46.21 to 82.89. The major concerns of the patients living with HIV/AIDS included financial insecurity and family responsibilities, followed by death threat and no cure of HIV/AIDS.

CONCLUSIONThe SF-36 is a reliable instrument for assessing QOL of patients living with HIV/AIDS. The QOL of the patients living with HIV/AIDS in China is poor.