INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 09 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 03:30 pm - 04:45 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 09: Epilepsy \| Oncology \| MS \| Infectious Disease Final Abstract #60 Combating Depression in Individuals with HIV: Comorbid Treatment May be the Key Caroline Kocher, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States Isa-Marie Kreuzinger, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States Mark Brannan-Ing, Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, University of New York, New York, United States Anna Egbert, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States BRIAD Lab, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States Category: Infectious Disease (HIV/COVID/Hepatitis/Viruses) Keyword 1: HIV/AIDS Keyword 2: depression Keyword 3: infectious disease Objective: Separately, HIV and depression are both known to have a devastating impact on quality of life and overall health. Together the two conditions require further research to determine what factors influence their interaction and how best to treat them. This study aimed to examine the symptomatology of depression and search for finer definition of the relationship between somatic, affective, and cognitive symptoms of depression and the level of health burden of HIV. Participants and Methods: We retrieved data about 53 participants within a larger study who reported being infected with HIV (HIV+ individuals) and matched them with 106 HIV negative (HIV-) controls in a 2:1 ratio. We studied their mental health in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress with the use of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21), depressive symptoms including feelings of self-worth with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), physical health-related variables including number of comorbid conditions, as well as treatment for their medical conditions. We used Pearson’s R correlation to examine the link between depression and immune function. We employed hierarchical regression modeling to examine the impact of treatment success (interpreted based on the current CD4 score) over depressive symptoms. Results: We found that seeking treatment for comorbid conditions significantly lowers depression, anxiety, and stress in HIV+ individuals (R=-.442, p=.030, n=24) and that negative feelings of self-worth are associated with less effective immune response to treatment (R=-.427, p=.020, n=24). We showed that treatment success was a significant determinant of feelings of self-worth in HIV+ individuals (B=-0.002, p=.021, CI95%=-0.004–0). Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that depression and HIV in conjunction with one another present a unique challenge to patients and care providers, and more research is necessary to determine the basis for this comorbidity.

Poster

02/16/2024
03:30 pm - 04:45 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 09: Epilepsy | Oncology | MS | Infectious Disease

Final Abstract #60

Combating Depression in Individuals with HIV: Comorbid Treatment May be the Key

Caroline Kocher, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States
Isa-Marie Kreuzinger, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States
Mark Brannan-Ing, Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, University of New York, New York, United States
Anna Egbert, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States
BRIAD Lab, Psychology Department at St. Joseph's University New York, Brooklyn, United States

Category: Infectious Disease (HIV/COVID/Hepatitis/Viruses)

Keyword 1: HIV/AIDS
Keyword 2: depression
Keyword 3: infectious disease

Objective:

Separately, HIV and depression are both known to have a devastating impact on quality of life and overall health. Together the two conditions require further research to determine what factors influence their interaction and how best to treat them. This study aimed to examine the symptomatology of depression and search for finer definition of the relationship between somatic, affective, and cognitive symptoms of depression and the level of health burden of HIV.

Participants and Methods:

We retrieved data about 53 participants within a larger study who reported being infected with HIV (HIV+ individuals) and matched them with 106 HIV negative (HIV-) controls in a 2:1 ratio. We studied their mental health in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress with the use of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21), depressive symptoms including feelings of self-worth with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), physical health-related variables including number of comorbid conditions, as well as treatment for their medical conditions. We used Pearson’s R correlation to examine the link between depression and immune function. We employed hierarchical regression modeling to examine the impact of treatment success (interpreted based on the current CD4 score) over depressive symptoms.

Results:

We found that seeking treatment for comorbid conditions significantly lowers depression, anxiety, and stress in HIV+ individuals (R=-.442, p=.030, n=24) and that negative feelings of self-worth are associated with less effective immune response to treatment (R=-.427, p=.020, n=24). We showed that treatment success was a significant determinant of feelings of self-worth in HIV+ individuals (B=-0.002, p=.021, CI95%=-0.004–0).

Conclusions:

These findings support the hypothesis that depression and HIV in conjunction with one another present a unique challenge to patients and care providers, and more research is necessary to determine the basis for this comorbidity.