Likely clinical depression and HIV-related decline in antiretroviral therapy untreated women who seroconverted during participation in microbicide trials in sub-Saharan Africa
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Depression worsens HIV outcomes in populations treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications. Data are limited on the relationship between depression and HIV in untreated populations in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to identify associations between likely clinical depression, alcohol use, social support by partners, and HIV viral load (VL) among ART untreated women who recently became HIV positive and enrolled in the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN)-015 study. Analyses used cross-sectional data collected at baseline in MTN-015. Participants in this analysis ( N = 190) enrolled from other MTN trials were not receiving ART and provided data on their HIV disclosure status to their husband or male partner and alcohol use behavior. The dependent variable, VL, was categorized as: low (≤400 RNA copies/mL; 9.1% of participants), medium (401–20,000 RNA copies/mL; 48.8%), and high (>20,000 RNA copies/mL; 42.0%). Depression was assessed using eight items from Hopkins Symptom Checklist; a cutoff of ≥1.75 indicated likely clinical depression. Independent variables with a significance of p ≤ 0.05 in unadjusted regressions were included in a regression adjusted for age, education, and time since seroconversion. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with high VL, in the adjusted regression (OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.07–3.01). Results suggest that likely having clinical depression may have a biological relationship with HIV disease progression.
Institutions: New York State Psychiatric Institute, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Columbia University, RTI International, University of California, Los Angeles, University of the Witwatersrand, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, Johns Hopkins University, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Perinatal HIV Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Kamuzu Central Hospital, MUJHU Research Collaboration, University of Washington, University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Microbicide Trials Network, Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC): Microbicide Trials Network, Leadership and Operations Center (LOC): Microbicide Trials Network, Developing Tailored Delivery and Adherence Interventions for use of Long-Acting Biomedical HIV Prevention Strategies by Transgender Women, Laboratory Center (LC): Microbicide Trials Network, Rustbelt Center for AIDS Research (Case/UHC-Pitt CFAR), The Johns Hopkins University-Blantyre Clinical Trials Unit, The Johns Hopkins University - Uganda Clinical Trials Unit, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies
OpenAlex ID: W3138713541