Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 14, Issue 3, 2012, Pages 405-412

Depressive symptoms, stress and resources among adult immigrants living with HIV (Article)

Noh M.S.* , Rueda S. , Bekele T. , Fenta H. , Gardner S. , Hamilton H. , Hart T.A. , Li A. , Noh S. , Rourke S.B.
  • a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Social Equity and Health Research, Toronto, Canada
  • b Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Population Health, Toronto, Canada
  • c Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Canada
  • d Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Canada
  • e Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Canada
  • f Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Social Equity and Health Research, Toronto, Canada
  • g Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
  • h Regent Park Community Health Centre, Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment, Toronto, Canada
  • i Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Social Equity and Health Research, Toronto, Canada
  • j Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Investigation on the mental health of HIVpositive immigrants is severely limited. We examine the independent and combined effects of HIV symptom and coping resources on depressive symptoms among HIVpositive immigrants (n = 259). Ordinary Least Squares regression models were estimated with data from a survey of clinical and social-psychological outcomes in people receiving treatment for HIV infection. We tested for the impact of two HIV-related stressors, one life events stressor and three buffering resources on depressive symptoms, controlling for thirteen demographic, clinical and acculturative factors. HIV-related stressors were found to be positively related to depressive symptom severity. Coping resources, namely self-mastery, mediate the relationships between HIV-related stressors and depressive symptoms. Results from this study provide the first empirical assessment of stress processes for immigrants living with HIV. Although more research is needed to understand mental health among HIV-positive immigrants, the study results suggest that health care providers focus on self-mastery enhancement among HIV-positive immigrants. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

Author Keywords

Self-mastery HIV-positive immigrants Stress Mental health HIV/AIDS

Index Keywords

depression HIV Infections regression analysis health care planning Human immunodeficiency virus infection psychological aspect mental health human middle aged statistics Stress, Psychological Health Resources mental stress Adaptation, Psychological social support ethnology Humans male Canada Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation female adaptive behavior cultural factor Psychometrics psychometry Article Ontario migration Utilization Review
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84860835394&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-011-9515-0&partnerID=40&md5=7de88afb6456a55c23f03a7231277df8
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-011-9515-0
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English