Hope for the future protects against suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults affected by perinatal HIV

ABSTRACT

Hope for the future has been found protective against suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescents and young adults (AYA) yet has not been examined in AYA with perinatal HIV-infection (PHIV) or AYA who were perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHEU), who are at higher risk for SI than general populations. Using data from a New York City-based longitudinal study of AYAPHIV and AYAPHEU enrolled when 9–16 years old, we examined associations between hope for the future, psychiatric disorders, and SI over time using validated measures. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate differences in mean hope for the future scores by PHIV-status and to estimate adjusted odds ratios for associations between hope for the future and SI. AYA reported high hope for the future scores and low SI across visits, irrespective of PHIV-status. Higher hope for the future scores were associated with lower odds of SI (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.996). Mood disorder was associated with increased odds of SI (AOR = 13.57, 95% CI: 5.11, 36.05) in a model including age, sex, follow-up, PHIV-status, mood disorder, and hope for the future. Understanding how hope can be cultivated and how it protects against SI can help to inform preventive interventions for HIV-affected AYA.

KEYWORDS:

• Hope
• suicidal ideation
• perinatal HIV
• HIV
• adolescence

Acknowledgments

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, or Columbia University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (R01MH069133, principal investigator [PI]: Claude Ann Mellins, PhD) and a center grant from NIMH to the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University (P30MH43520; PI: Robert H. Remien, PhD).