Gender Differences in Severity and Correlates of Depression Symptoms in People Living with HIV in Ontario, Canada

Kinda Aljassem; Janet M Raboud; Trevor A Hart; Anita Benoit; DeSheng Su; Shari L Margolese; Sean B Rourke; Sergio Rueda; Ann Burchell; John Cairney; Paul Shuper; Mona R Loutfy; OHTN Cohort Study Research Team

doi:10.1177/2325957414536228

Gender Differences in Severity and Correlates of Depression Symptoms in People Living with HIV in Ontario, Canada

J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2016 Jan-Feb;15(1):23-35. doi: 10.1177/2325957414536228. Epub 2014 Jun 4.

Authors

Collaborators

OHTN Cohort Study Research Team:
Sean B Rourke, Ann N Burchell, Sandra Gardner, Sergio Rueda, Ahmed Bayoumi, Kevin Gough, Jeffrey Cohen, Curtis Cooper, Don Kilby, Mona Loutfy, Fred Crouzat, Anita Rachlis, Nicole Mittmann, Janet Raboud, Irving Salit, Edward Ralph, Roger Sandre, Wendy Wobeser

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Canada.
² Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Psychiatry, St. Michaels Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Department of Family Medicine and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Canada Department of Medicine, Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada mona.loutfy@wchospital.ca.

PMID: 24899261
DOI: 10.1177/2325957414536228

Abstract

This study investigates the differences in severity and correlates of depression symptoms among 1069 men and 267 women living with HIV in Ontario, Canada, who completed the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Women had higher CES-D scores than that of men (median [interquartile range]: 13 [5-26] versus 9 [3-20], P=.0004). More women had total CES-D scores>15 (mild-moderate depression; 44% versus 33%, P=.002) and >21 (severe depression; 31% versus 23%, P=.003). Unlike men, at age 40, women's scores increased yearly (0.4 per increased year, P=.005). The distribution of scores differed by gender: There was no difference in the 10th percentile of depression scores, 0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.0) but the 75th percentile of depression scores for women was 6 (95% CI: 2.0-10.0) points higher than that of men. Important gender differences exist in depression symptoms and in correlates of symptoms in people living with HIV.

Keywords: HIV; age; depression; gender; mental health; women.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Age Factors
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / diagnosis
Depression / epidemiology*
Depression / etiology
Depression / psychology
Female
HIV Infections / complications*
HIV Infections / psychology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Ontario / epidemiology
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Factors