Publication Cover
AIDS Care
Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
Volume 32, 2020 - Issue 3
304
Views
7
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Depression and anxiety among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and men who have sex with women in China

ORCID Icon, , , , , , , & show all
Pages 362-369 | Received 22 Jan 2019, Accepted 10 Oct 2019, Published online: 31 Oct 2019
 

ABSTRACT

China is experiencing an emerging HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Minority stress theory posits that marginalized populations experience additional stress, which influences experiences of psychological distress and health outcomes. This study aimed to understand psychological distress of MSM relative to men who have sex with women (MSW) in an urban Chinese setting. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 162 HIV-positive Chinese men receiving HIV treatment at Beijing’s Ditan Hospital. Multiple linear regression with imputation was used to identify correlates of psychological distress. Relative to MSW, MSM were younger, more educated, and less likely to be in a relationship or have children. While both groups reported clinically elevated levels of depression and anxiety, sexual behavior was not associated with either outcome. Higher endorsement of depression symptomology was associated with worse reported physical health (β = −1.37, p < .05) and greater endorsement of maladaptive coping (β = 2.39, p < .05), whereas higher endorsement of anxiety symptomology was associated with greater endorsement of adaptive coping (β = 0.78, p < .05), diminished physical health (β = −0.86, p < .05), and a high school or greater level of education (β = 4.13, p < .05). These findings suggest that interventions targeting coping strategies may address psychological distress among HIV-positive Chinese men.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (K24 MH093243) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NT32 AI07140).

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 464.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.