Open AccessAbuse and Mental Health Concerns Among HIV-Infected Haitian Women Living in the United States
Author(s) -
Myriam Glémaud,
Lourdes Illa,
Marisa Echenique,
Victoria Bustamente-Avellaneda,
Shirley Amanda Gazabon,
Olga Villar-Loubet,
Alan Rodriguez,
J. Potter,
Barbara Messick,
Dushyantha Jayaweera,
Catherine Boulanger,
Michael A. Kolber
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the journal of the association of nurses in aids care/journal of the association of nurses in aids care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.636
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1552-6917
pISSN - 1055-3290
DOI - 10.1016/j.jana.2013.06.005
Subject(s) - mental health , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , medicine , environmental health , psychiatry , gerontology , family medicine
This study describes the prevalence of abuse and mental health issues among a cohort of HIV-infected Haitian women living in the United States. We present data on 96 women, ages 19-73 years (M = 47.6, SD = 11.1), who were screened for mental health concerns between 2009 and 2012. Results demonstrated that 12.5% of the women reported a history of abuse. However, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) secondary to HIV was reported by approximately 34% of women. Depression and anxiety were also highly reported, with rates of 49% and 43%, respectively. Women who reported a history of abuse were more likely to report anxiety, PTSD, and PTSD related to HIV symptoms than those without. Our findings suggest that Haitian HIV-infected women may underreport abuse and experience significant depression and anxiety. These preliminary results could be used to develop future studies and to design and implement culturally sensitive interventions for this underserved population.