Psychological distress experiences among patients living with HIV: a qualitative systematic review

Background: Patients with HIV infection experience psychological distress during the stages of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, significantly impacting their quality of life. Comprehensive understanding of patients’ psychological distress experiences is essential for healthcare professionals to develop targeted interventions for improved care. Aim: To synthesize the evidence regarding psychological distress among patients living with HIV and clarify its causes and influencing factors Design: This was a systematic review of qualitative studies Data sources: A systematic literature research was conducted among eight electronic databases from establishment to June 2025. Manual searching of the reference lists of related articles were also conducted. Qualitative studies were included if they were relevant to psychological distress experiences of patients living with HIV. Review methods: This research adhered to the guidelines established by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. Two reviewers conducted independent evaluations of the studies and extracted the data. The quality of eligible studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s Australian Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research. The thematic synthesis method established by Thomas and Harden was employed to integrate the findings. Results: : A total of 5749 studies were initially identified through the database research and ten studies were included in the review. Three analytical themes were developed from the findings: (1) individual factors (2) environmental factors (3) interpersonal factors Conclusion: Psychological distress is a subjective experience shaped by the interplay of individual, environmental, and interpersonal factors, frequently observed in patients with HIV. To optimise the management of psychological distress, it is essential to consider the characteristics and external environment of patients with HIV during routine nursing care. Patient or Public Contribution: Since this was a meta-synthesis, no patient or public contribution was required.