Ethnic inequalities in mental health and socioeconomic status among older women living with HIV: results from the PRIME Study.

Journal article

Solomon, D., Tariq, S., Alldis, J., Burns, F., Gilson, R., Sabin, C., Sherr, L., Pettit, F. and Dhairyawan, R. (2021). Ethnic inequalities in mental health and socioeconomic status among older women living with HIV: results from the PRIME Study. Sexually transmitted infections. pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054788
AuthorsSolomon, D., Tariq, S., Alldis, J., Burns, F., Gilson, R., Sabin, C., Sherr, L., Pettit, F. and Dhairyawan, R.
AbstractWomen living with HIV in the UK are an ethnically diverse group with significant psychosocial challenges. Increasing numbers are reaching older age. We describe psychological and socioeconomic factors among women with HIV in England aged 45-60 and explore associations with ethnicity. Analysis of cross-sectional data on 724 women recruited to the PRIME Study. Psychological symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 4 and social isolation with a modified Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Scale. Black African (BA) women were more likely than Black Caribbean or White British (WB) women to have a university education (48.3%, 27.0%, 25.7%, respectively, p<0.001), but were not more likely to be employed (68.4%, 61.4%, 65.2%, p=0.56) and were less likely to have enough money to meet their basic needs (56.4%, 63.0%, 82.9%, p<0.001). BA women were less likely to report being diagnosed with depression than WB women (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.40, p<0.001) but more likely to report current psychological distress (aOR 3.34, p<0.05). We report high levels of poverty, psychological distress and social isolation in this ethnically diverse group of midlife women with HIV, especially among those who were BA. Despite being more likely to experience psychological distress, BA women were less likely to have been diagnosed with depression suggesting a possible inequity in access to mental health services. Holistic HIV care requires awareness of the psychosocial needs of older women living with HIV, which may be more pronounced in racially minoritised communities, and prompt referral for support including psychology, peer support and advice about benefits. [Abstract copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.]
KeywordsHIV; ethnic groups; race factors; women
Year2021
JournalSexually transmitted infections
Journal citationpp. 1-4
PublisherBMJ
ISSN1472-3263
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054788
Publication dates
Online29 Mar 2021
Publication process dates
Accepted20 Feb 2021
Deposited13 Apr 2021
Publisher's version
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File Access Level
Open
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