Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study.

ABSTRACT: Sexual violence against women is a global issue with profound health consequences, including elevated HIV risk due to genital tract inflammation and injury. However, limited research has examined the influence of mental health on HIV-related immunity after violence. We analyzed longitudinal data from female survivors of past-month rape (N = 25) to explore associations between mental health (perceived stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and resilience) and HIV-associated immune biomarkers in the female genital tract. In bivariate analyses, mental health improved over the three-month follow-up period. Immune biomarker levels remained largely stable, except for TNF-α and SLPI. At baseline, depression was significantly correlated with TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. In regressio

SUBMITTER: Anderson KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12846484 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature