Symptoms of psychological distress among African-Americans accessing HIV-related mental health services

Background: African-Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV in the U.S. While the psychological implications of HIV infection have been well documented among Caucasians, little is known about the symptoms of psychological distress experienced by African-Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine 1) the prevalence of symptoms of psychological distress experienced by African-Americans upon self-enrollment in HIV-related mental health care, and 2) compare the symptoms of psychological distress in this sample to the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) normative sample. Methods: Data were collected from 575 African-Americans, living with HIV, who self-enrolled at an HIV-related mental health clinic located in the Southeastern United States. Results: Nearly 20% of the sample reported a T-score > 63, a level indicative of psychiatric diagnosis, for somatization and paranoid ideation. When compared to the normative sample, this sample had significantly lower levels (p < .05) of anxiety, depression, generalized anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, and phobic anxiety than the normative sample and had significantly higher levels of paranoid ideation and somatization than the normative sample. Conclusions: These results indicate that, overall, African-Americans presented for mental health services with lower levels of symptoms of psychological distress than the normative sample. To that end, it is possible that African-Americans living with HIV may underreport symptoms of psychological distress or may experience symptoms of psychological distress differently than other individuals. As a result, it is important that HIV-related service providers recognize these patterns of psychological distress and provide appropriate referrals to HIV-related mental health providers.