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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Eric W. Schrimshaw, MA (PhD cand) and Karolynn Siegel, PhD. Center for the Psychosocial Study of Health & Illness, Columbia University, 100 Haven Avenue, Suite 6A, New York, NY 10032, 212-304-6489, es458@columbia.edu

BACKGROUND: Early in the AIDS epidemic, lack of effective treatments led many to consider suicide as an “rational” option to hasten death. The advent of HAART may have reduced suicidal ideation, yet little data exists on this issue. Further, little research has examined the factors associated with suicidal ideation in the HAART era. METHOD: Two matched samples of HIV-positive women, one prior to the advent of HAART (n = 79) and the other following the advent of HAART (n = 79) were compared on an index of suicidal ideation in the past month. Additionally, factors associated with suicidal ideation were examined among HAART era women (N = 138). RESULTS: Frequency of suicidal ideation did not differ in the pre-HAART and HAART eras (M = 2.96 vs. 3.24), nor did the prevalence (35% vs. 38%). In multivariate analyses, greater suicidal ideation in the HAART era was associated with more depression (beta = .43), greater social conflict (beta = .15), less social support (beta = -.18), less problem-focused coping (beta = -.12) and more support seeking coping (beta = .12), but was unrelated to HIV symptoms or time since diagnosis (Model R2 = .67). A support by conflict interaction predicted lower suicidal ideation only among those with high levels of both support and conflict. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-positive women in the HAART era continue to report significant suicidal ideation for which intervention may be needed. Findings suggest suicidality is not related to disease severity, but to social and individual factors which interventions could target.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the past research on suicide as a “rational” choice among HIV-positive individuals.
• Report on how the advent of HAART has changed the frequency and prevalence of suicidal ideation among HIV-positive women.
• Suggest the disease-related and psychosocial factors associated with suicidal ideation in the HAART era.
• Apply these findings to the development of intervention efforts to reduce suicidal ideation among HIV-positive women.

Keywords: Suicide, Women and HIV/AIDS

Awards: Excellence in Abstract Submission among Student APHA Members and Winner of the HIV/AIDS Section Student Scholarship - Recipient

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered