Symptoms of psychological distress among older and younger individuals living with HIV

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of individuals living with HIV who are 50 years of age and older. However, the majority of HIV and mental health research has focused on younger individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this study was explore differences in psychological distress among younger (under age 50) and older adults (50+) living with HIV. Methods: Data were collected from 386 individuals living with HIV/AIDS who self-enrolled at an HIV-related mental health clinic located in the Southeastern United States. Half of the sample (n = 193) was over the age of 50 and half the sample (n = 193) was under the age of 50. Results: Among the 50+ sample, 29.0% (n = 56) were diagnosed with HIV at 50 years or older, with the average age of diagnosis at 44.27 (SD = 8.5) years. There were no significant differences among symptoms of psychological distress, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, between the individuals under or over age 50. Furthermore, there were no relationships in psychological distress based age of diagnosis or length of diagnosis in either sub-sample. Conclusions: These results indicate that psychological distress does not appear to differ based on age, age at diagnosis, or length of diagnosis among individuals under or over the age of 50. This finding is important for providers because it suggests that mental health interventions may not need to be specifically designed for older individuals living with HIV.