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Cleveland Julien, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St., Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, 734-615-7467, cjulien@umich.edu, David Williams, PhD, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, and Allen A. Herman, MD,, PhD, Medical University of Southern Africa, Dean, National School of Public Health, c/o 1445 Crestridge Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910-1535, South Africa.
The estimated four million people infected with HIV/AIDS in South Africa account for 50% of reported cases in sub-Saharan Africa. With rising prevalence rates and stubborn incidence rates, the public health challenges only grow. Global and local initiatives have largely ignored the mental health burden incurred by the disease. International surveys document the pervasiveness of depression, its social cost, and associations with many life-threatening illnesses. Yet, the relationship between HIV/AIDS and depression has not been assessed. The present study begins that exploration in the South African context. Specifically, we examine the association between perceived vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and the risk of clinically diagnosed depression among 5000 adult South Africans. The data for this study were collected as part of the South Africa Stress and Health Study (SASH). SASH is one of the psychiatric epidemiologic surveys conducted as part of the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health (WMH) initiative. Depression is measured using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Perceived vulnerability is derived from a module of the survey that asked respondents to rate the personal threat posed by HIV/AIDS, behavioral changes in response to this threat, past and expected participation in HIV testing, and personal knowledge of individuals who have AIDS or who have died of AIDS. Preliminary analyses provide correlational evidence of an association between perceived vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and depression. This study also provides important information on South Africans’ knowledge about AIDS and its risk factors, as well as characterizing the mental health of the population.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Depression, HIV/AIDS
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.