Prevalence, correlates, and quality-of-life outcomes of major or persistent pain among women living with HIV in Metro Vancouver, Canada

While women living with HIV (WLWH) are twice as likely to report severe or undertreated chronic pain compared to men, little is known about pain among WLWH. Our goal was to characterize the correlates of pain as well as its impact on quality-of-life outcomes among women enrolled in the Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Women’s Longitudinal Needs Assessment (SHAWNA), an open longitudinal study of WLWH accessing care in Metro Vancouver, Canada. We conducted logistic regression analyses to identify associations between self-reported major or persistent pain with sociostructural and psychosocial correlates and with quality-of-life outcomes. Data are presented as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals. Among 335 participants, 77.3% reported pain at ≥ 1 study visit, with 46.3% experiencing any undiagnosed pain and 53.1% managing pain with criminalized drugs. In multivariable analysis, age (aOR 1.04[1.03–1.06] per year increase), food and housing insecurity (aOR 1.54[1.08–2.19]), depression diagnosis (aOR 1.34[1.03–1.75]), suicidality (aOR 1.71[1.21–2.42]), and non-daily, non-injection opioid use (aOR 1.53[1.07–2.17]) were associated with higher odds of pain. Daily non-injection opioid use (aOR 0.46[0.22–0.96]) and health services access (aOR 0.63[0.44–0.91]) were associated with lower odds of pain. In separate multivariable confounder models, pain was associated with reduced odds of good self-rated health (aOR 0.64[0.48–0.84] and increased odds of health interference with social activities (aOR 2.21[1.63–2.99]) and general function (aOR 3.24[2.54–4.13]). In conclusion, most WLWH in our study reported major or persistent pain. Pain was commonly undiagnosed and associated with lower quality of life. We identified structural and psychosocial factors associated with pain in WLWH, emphasizing the need for low-barrier, trauma-informed, and harm reduction-based interventions.