Symptoms serve as intervention foci for individuals and healthcare providers. Previous research demonstrates that there is an association between the symptom experience and depression in persons with HIV/AIDS. Objective: This paper reports on the relationship between lipodystrophy-related symptom experiences and depression in persons with HIV disease. Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Population, Sample, Setting: Data were obtained from outpatients in three HIV/AIDS clinics in California, Massachusetts, and Texas. The sample was comprised of 64 Caucasians, 51 African-Americans, 44 Hispanics, and 6 others, ranging in age from 21-62 years with a mean age of 42.12 (SD + 8.29). Variables: The variables for this study included depression, body fat and metabolic changes associated with self-reported, HIV-related lipodystrophy symptoms. Methods: The Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to measure depression and four researcher-generated open-ended questions were utilized to obtain data on presence and frequencies of symptoms, management strategies and client ‘feelings’ related to the physical changes. Findings: The mean CES-D (depression) score was 28.96 (SD + 11.62). Scores > 16 on this Likert-type scale are diagnostic for clinical depression. In contrast, the mean score on a single item on the sociodemographic data sheet that asked participants to rank their psychological support on a scale of 1-10 with “1” being “very poor” and “10” being “excellent,” was 6.96 (SD + 2.60). The majority of the sample reported having a number of lipodystrophy-associated symptoms. Approximately 67% of the sample also indicated having one or more comorbidities. Conclusions: Subjects’ responses indicated clinical depression, possibly associated with significant numbers of HIV-associated lipodystrophy symptoms, but they reported moderately high levels of psychological support from significant others. Implications: Randomized clinical trials are indicated to explore better ways of intervening in persons with depression and the presence or absence of other comorbidities (e.g., lipodystrophy, depression).
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