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Uphold CR, Arce N, Garzarella L. Aging and Mental Health Outcomes Among Men Living with HIV: Results of a Two-Year Study. Paper presented at: HIV / AIDS and Aging on HIV Over 50 National Conference; 2006 Jan 12; Miami, FL.
Although HIV infection is now considered a manageable chronic disease with a growing number of older adults living with the disease, no known study has investigated the longitudinal impact of age on mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that older age was associated with poorer mental health outcomes over time.The sample consisted of 226 men attending three infectious disease clinics in a southeastern United States (U.S.) city. We enrolled all male patients who attended the clinics between February 2001 and May 2005, except for 153 patients who did not meet the study criteria and 43 patients who declined to participate. The main reasons for not participating were because of time constraints or feeling too ill to answer questions. Participants were interviewed and had their blood analyzed for CD4 cell counts and viral loads at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. A comparison analysis between the men who were interviewed at all three time points and those who participated only at baseline revealed no significant differences in baseline demographic variables and the mental health variables, except for social support. Instruments with established reliability and validity were used to measure the outcomes.The results of the estimated random effects linear regression models did not support the hypothesis. After controlling for duration of HIV diagnosis, comorbidity, and education, age did not appear to create a double jeopardy. There were no time by age interactions. At all time points, older age was associated with less perceived life-event stress and better stress management, emotional well-being and mental health quality of life. Age was not associated with social support, coping, or overall quality of life at any of the timepoints.
