Open AccessA Prospective Study of Depressive Symptoms, Condomless Sex, and HIV Viral Load in HIV-Positive Female Sex Workers in Kenya
Author(s) -
Mark J. Rosenthal,
George Wanje,
Barbra A. Richardson,
Juma Shafi,
Lei Wang,
Linnet Masese,
Danielle Poole,
Walter Jaoko,
Jane M. Simoni,
R. Scott McClelland
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aids and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1573-3254
pISSN - 1090-7165
DOI - 10.1007/s10461-021-03258-0
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , health psychology , prospective cohort study , viral load , population , depressive symptoms , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cohort study , men who have sex with men , sida , public health , immunology , demography , psychiatry , viral disease , syphilis , environmental health , pathology , anxiety , economics , macroeconomics , sociology
The relationships between depressive symptoms, viral suppression, and condomless sex were examined in a prospective cohort study of 369 HIV-positive Kenyan female sex workers. Participants were screened for depressive symptoms at baseline and every six months until completion of the study (up to 66 months). HIV viral load (VL) was measured every six months and prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing in vaginal secretions was performed quarterly. Mild or greater depressive symptoms were found in 100 (27.1%) women and were associated with increased risk of detectable VL (aRR 1.41, 95%CI 0.97-2.07, p-value = 0.07), but were not associated with detectable PSA. The co-occurrence of PSA detection and detectable VL at the same visit suggests the potential for HIV transmission but was uncommon (2.4% of visits). The prevalence of depressive symptoms and the association with detectable VL suggests the need for screening and treatment of depression for comprehensive HIV care in this population.