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Douglas Santos, PhD, Eddie Marrero, PhD, and Janet Bonilla, PhD. Social Sciences Department, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, P.O. Box 9266, Mayaguez, PR 00681, 787 832 -4040 ext 3839, dsantos@ceci.uprm.edu
Background: Studies examining the mental health consequences associated with the HIV/AIDS infection began in the early1980s. Consistently, cross sectional analyses have found elevated rates of depression syndromes, impaired psychological functioning, and high psychological distress among people with HIV/AIDS. The objectives were to describe the level of psychological distress and coping strategies of a sample of women with HIV/AIDS. Methods: The sample consisted of 110 women with HIV/AIDS that were randomly selected from a public health care center located on the west coast of Puerto Rico. A sampling frame was constructed using the following criteria: active medical record, ages between 18 and 50, and under HIV/AIDS treatment for at least two months. Participants answered a computerized structure interview questionnaire after signing a consent form. The measures included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), The Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression (CESD), and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire-Revised. Results: Extremely high levels of both anxiety and depressive symptoms were identified in the sample. Specifically, over 60% and 70% of the women interviewed scored above the cut off point in the BAI and in the CESD respectively. Close to 40% of sample scored above the cut off point in both measures. The majority (53.2%) of the women interviewed showed negative coping strategies. Conclusion: In general, high levels of psychological distress and inadequate ways of coping with the HIV/AIDS illness were identified in a vast percent of the sample. Need for mental health services and specific interventions for positive coping strategies are presented.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to
Keywords: Mental Health, Correctional Health Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.