Loneliness and HIV-Related Stigma Explain Depression Among Older HIV-Positive ...

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Service providers and researchers should "assert more aggressive and innovative efforts to resolve both psychosocial and physical health issues that characterize the graying of the AIDS epidemic in the USA," according to the authors of the current study.

Thanks to treatment advances, more adults with HIV are living into their senior years. "These aging adults face added social, psychological, and physical challenges associated with the aging process," the authors noted.

Although correlations between depression, loneliness, health, and HIV/AIDS-related stigma have been studied, the team noted there has been little evaluation of these associations among HIV-positive adults over age 50. Data for the current analyses were drawn from the Research on Older Adults with HIV study of 914 HIV-positive men and women over age 50 in New York City.

A total of 39.1 percent of study participants exhibited symptoms of major depression (CES-D Multivariate modeling successfully explained 42 percent of the variance in depression which was significantly related to increased HIV-associated stigma, increased loneliness, decreased cognitive functioning, reduced energy levels, and being younger.

"Data suggest that focusing efforts to reduce HIV-related stigma and loneliness may have lasting effects in reducing major depressive symptoms and improving perceived health," the authors concluded.

Back to other news for August 2010 Adapted from:
AIDS Care
05.2010; Vol. 22; No. 5: P. 630-639; Christian Grov; Sarit A. Golub; Jeffrey T. Parsons; Mark Brennan; Stephen E. Karpiak

This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update .

Additional information:

Older Adults Depression and Suicide Facts Aging And Geriatrics
Recovery From Major Depression in Older Adults Receiving
Recognizing Depression in the older Adult
Aging: Depression and Older Adults Part 1 Articles
Wii Sports Games Reduce Depression in Older Adults
Depression and Older Adults
Dealing with depression in seniors Los Angeles Times
The State of Mental Health and Aging in America
Depression in older adults How to treat its distinct clinical
Depression in Older Adults
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