Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Treatment Utilization, and Associated HIV Outcomes among Adults with HIV in Rural Florida

Abstract

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) and depression or anxiety in the rural South may have suboptimal HIV outcomes. We sought to examine the proportion of PLWH from rural Florida with symptoms of depression or anxiety, the proportion who received depression or anxiety treatment, and the relationship between untreated and treated symptoms of depression or anxiety and HIV outcomes. Cross-sectional survey data collected between 2014 and 2018 were analyzed. Among 187 PLWH residing in rural Florida (median age 49 years, 61.5%, male 45.5% Black), 127 (67.9%) met criteria for symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Among these 127 participants, 60 (47.2%) were not on depression or anxiety treatment. Participants with untreated symptoms of depression and anxiety (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2-9.2, p = 0.03) and treated depression and anxiety with uncontrolled symptoms (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.5-4.0, p = 0.52) were more likely to have viral non-suppression compared to those without depression or anxiety in an unadjusted bivariate analysis. Only the association between untreated symptoms of depression and anxiety and viral non-suppression was statistically significant, and when adjusting for social and structural confounders the association was attenuated and was no longer statistically significant. This suggests that social and structural barriers impact both mental health and HIV outcomes. Our findings support the need for increased mental health services and resources that address the social and structural barriers to care for PLWH in the rural South.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Florida; HIV; Rural southern US.