Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Effect of HIV-Related Stigmatization on Medication Adherence among HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex with Men

This study tested the hypothesis that depressive symptoms would mediate the association of HIV-related stigma to medication adherence. We recruited HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM; N = 66; 66 % White, 23 % African-American) from an outpatient infectious disease clinic, and asked them to complete self-report measures. 

Mediational analyses showed that depressive symptoms fully mediated the association between HIV-related stigma and adherence. That is, stigma-related experiences were positively associated with depressive symptoms and negatively associated with adherence, and, in the final model, depressive symptoms remained a significant correlate of adherence while stigma did not. A test of the indirect effect of stigma on adherence through depressive symptoms was also significant. 

These results highlight the importance of treating depressive symptoms in interventions aiming to improve medication adherence among HIV-infected MSM.

Via: http://goo.gl/g1OYd2  Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/1mDXDI

By:  Mitzel LD1, Vanable PA, Brown JL, Bostwick RA, Sweeney SM, Carey MP.

1Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY, 13244-2340, USA

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