Long-term changes in psychological symptomatology associated with HIV serostatus among male injecting drug users

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Abstract
To examine long-term changes in psychological symptomatology from 6 to 24 months after notification of HIV serostatus among male injecting drug users (IDU). Self-report and interview data were collected at 6-month intervals as part of a longitudinal study monitoring HIV infection and risk-associated behaviors among IDU. A community-based methadone-maintenance clinic. Ninety-seven male IDU (81 HIV-seronegative, 16 HIV-seropositive), including both methadone-maintained and out-of-treatment IDU. Analyses of long-term changes in psychological symptomatology associated with HIV serostatus among male IDU. Analyses of long-term changes in psychological symptomatology between groups revealed no significantly greater levels of overall psychological distress or significant elevations on subscales of the Symptom Checklist-90 for HIV-seropositive compared with HIV-seronegative male IDU. Also, no significantly higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory or the psychiatric composite score of the Addiction Severity Index were observed between groups. Our results suggest that HIV-seropositive male IDU do not express greater levels of psychological symptomatology from 6 to 24 months following notification of seropositivity compared with HIV-seronegative male IDU. Several explanations for these findings are considered. Future work should examine why male IDU do not report significant and long-term elevations in symptoms post-notification of HIV seropositivity. Also, studies of changes in psychological symptomatology as a function of HIV serostatus among female IDU need to be conducted to assess implications for treatment interventions among this underserved population.

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