Internalized stigma, depressive symptoms, and the modifying role of antiretroviral therapy: A cohort study in rural Uganda.

ABSTRACT: Depression affects over 40% of people with HIV (PHIV) in low- and middle-income countries, and over half of PHIV report HIV-related internalized stigma. However, few longitudinal studies of PHIV have examined the relationship between HIV-related stigma and depression. Data were analyzed from the 2007-15 Uganda AIDS Rural Treatment Outcomes (UARTO) Study, a cohort of 454 antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve PHIV (68% women) starting ART. Our primary outcome was depression symptom severity over the first two years of ART, measured using a locally adapted version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist; our primary exposure was the 6-item Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale. Both scores were measured at enrollment and at quarterly follow-up visits. We fit linear generalized estimating equations (GE

SUBMITTER: Bebell LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8896824 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature