High levels of mild to moderate depression among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Lima, Peru

Implications for integrated depression and HIV care

Bibliographic Data

ID19440229
AuthorsJerome T Galea (0000-0001-8732-6959, University of South Florida, corresponding author), Stephanie L Marhefka (0000-0001-7708-1521, University of South Florida), Stephanie Marhefka (University of South Florida), Segundo R León (0000-0002-5630-5714, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Lima, Peru), Guitele J Rahill (0000-0003-2439-027X, University of South Florida), Elena Cyrus (0000-0003-4449-1449, University of Central Florida), Hugo Sanchez (0000-0002-8163-6232, Epicentro Salud, Lima, Perú), Zhiwei Zhang (0000-0002-0891-0389, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, United States), Brandon Brown (0000-0002-6348-4108, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, United States)
Year2022
Volume34
Issue12
Pages1534-1539
Publication date2022-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540121.2021.1991877
PMID34668797
OpenAlexW3205235783
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited37

Depression disproportionally affects people at risk of acquiring or living with HIV and is associated with worse health outcomes; however, depression care is not routinely integrated with HIV prevention and treatment services. Selection of the best depression intervention(s) for integration depends both on the prevalence and severity of depression among potential users. To inform depression care integration in a community-based setting in Lima, Peru, we retrospectively analyzed routinely collected depression screening data from men who have sex with men and transgender women seeking HIV prevention and care services (N = 185). Depression was screened for using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Prevalence of any depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) was 42% and was significantly associated with the last sexual partner being “casual” (p = 0.01). Most (81%) depressive symptoms were mild to moderate (≥5 PHQ-9 ≤ 14). Integrating depression care with HIV prevention and treatment services in Peru should begin by implementing interventions targeting mild to moderate depression

Anxiety · Casual · Depressive symptoms · Family medicine · Health care · Men who have sex with men · Patient Health Questionnaire · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Transgender · Transgender women · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Gerontology