Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

Abstract #159592

• Slides (pdf) or Handout

Enbal Shacham, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, 40 N. Kingshighway, Suite 4, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, 314-286-2271, shachame@epi.wustl.edu, Michael Reece, PhD, MPH, Dept of Applied Health Science, Indiana University-Bloomington, 1025 E. 7th St, HPER 116, Bloomington, IN 47405, Patrick O. Monahan, PhD, Division of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Cancer Center Pavillion, 380G RT, Indianapolis, IN 46202, and Tania B. Basta, PhD, MPH, School of Health Sciences, Ohio University, Grover Center E331, Athens, OH 45701.

Background: Given that HIV-related care in developing countries continues to be influenced by care systems in western countries like the U.S., it is important to continue understanding the differences in the HIV-related needs between societies to ensure that systems of care are attentive to cultural differences and local needs.

Methods: A comparison of psychological distress symptoms among individuals with HIV in two independent samples was conducted. These samples included individuals who had self-enrolled in mental health care; one in an HIV-related medical clinic in Kenya and one in an HIV-related mental health clinic in the U.S. Samples were matched to include those who enrolled into care between November 2004 and November 2005.

Results: The Kenyan sample included 257 individuals and the U.S. sample included 279 individuals; participants were similar with regard to gender, age, and HIV-related characteristics. The Brief Symptom Inventory was used to measure symptoms of psychological distress. Distress levels were significantly higher in the U.S. sample for depression (F = 34.50, p < 0.00), anxiety (F = 8.54, p = 0.004), psychoticism (F = 8.23, p = 0.004), and the Global Severity Index (F = 14.06, p < 0.000), while the Kenyan sample reported significantly higher levels of phobic anxiety (F = 8.54, p = 0.004).

Discussion: These data suggest that dimensions of psychological distress may be expressed differently across populations living with the same disease and highlights the need to understand these manifestations when developing systems of care and subsequently providing services to those in these populations.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Participants will be able to articulate which symptoms of psychological distress symptoms are more prevalent between these two populations
• 2. Participants will be able to identify important factors of assessing psychological distress in different communities.
• 3. Participants will be able to consider the need to tailor prevention efforts based on the distress symptoms which are presented into care.

Keywords: Mental Health, International Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout