Risk Factors for Drinking among HIV-Positive African American Adults: The Depression–Gender Interaction

Abstract

Background: Alcohol misuse disproportionately affects people living with HIV. People who struggle with alcohol are also likely to be concurrently struggling with depression. Although there is evidence linking depression to HIV, depression to alcohol, and alcohol to HIV, there is limited research that simultaneously examines the interlocking associations between all three factors. Objective: To investigate the interaction between depression symptomatology and gender on alcohol misuse, while controlling for motivation to reduce drinking, among HIV-positive African Americans. This population was examined because of their increased for developing alcohol dependence. Methods: Data analysis was conducted on baseline survey data of HIV-positive African American adults (N = 88) who drink and were enrolled in the Project PLUS (Positive Living through Understanding and Support) intervention to examine the correlates (i.e., gender, motivation, depression) of drinking in the past 30 days. Results: Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed a significant interaction between gender and depression to predict total drinks reported (R² = .56, p < .001). While depression was the sole predictor of drinking for men and suppressed the role of motivation, the reverse was true for women; depression was not a significant predictor after controlling for motivation to reduce drinking. Conclusion: African American men and women living with HIV have different risk factors for recent drinking. Scientific significance: Understanding the link between depression, gender, and motivation to reduce drinking for HIV-positive adults with alcohol problems is crucial for the development of gender and culturally relevant treatments.

• alcohol
• African Americans
• HIV
• depression
• gender

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Project PLUS was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (RO1 AA13556, Jeffrey T. Parsons, principal investigator). The contributions of Buffie Longmire-Avital were supported through a postdoctoral fellowship in the Behavioral Sciences Training in Drug Abuse Research program sponsored by the Public Health Solution of New York City with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (5T32 DA07233). The authors acknowledge the contributions of the other members of the Project PLUS team. They also thank all the clinics and sites that provided access to potential participants.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.