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The Effects of Traumatic Stressors and HIV-Related Trauma Symptoms on Health and Health Related Quality of Life

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Abstract

The study identified relations among traumatic stressors, HIV-related trauma symptoms, comorbid medical conditions, and health related quality of life (HRQL) in individuals with HIV. Participants (N = 118) completed a structured clinical interview on HIV as a traumatic stressor and other severe traumatic stressors and completed the Impact of Event Scale to assess HIV-related trauma symptoms and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) to assess HRQL. Medical chart reviews determined comorbid conditions. Path analysis findings indicated participants with prior severe traumatic stressors experienced their HIV diagnosis as traumatic and in turn were more likely to have current HIV-related trauma symptoms which were negatively related to HRQL. HIV as a traumatic stressor was related to coronary artery diseases and HRQL. Traumatic stressors and HIV-related trauma symptoms impact health in individuals with HIV and highlight the need for psychological interventions prior to diagnosis and throughout treatment.

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Acknowledgment

This research was partly funded by a dissertation grant awarded to the first author from the Institute of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology and was supported by grants T32-MH020031, P30 MH62294 (Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS) and K23-MH076671 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors gratefully acknowledge our community collaborations with the HIV Care Program formally located within Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, IL, especially Anita McGruder-Johnson, Arthur Moswin, Norma Rolfsen, Billie Strauss, and Maryanne Williams as well as the research assistance of Lissa Baur and Kristin Neil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, 135 College Street, Suite 200, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Vienna R. Nightingale

  2. Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA

    Tamara G. Sher, Melissa Mattson & Sarah Thilges

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Nathan B. Hansen

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  1. Vienna R. Nightingale
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  2. Tamara G. Sher
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Correspondence to Vienna R. Nightingale.

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Nightingale, V.R., Sher, T.G., Mattson, M. et al. The Effects of Traumatic Stressors and HIV-Related Trauma Symptoms on Health and Health Related Quality of Life. AIDS Behav 15, 1870–1878 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-9980-4

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