HIV status and gender: a brief report from heterosexual couples in Thailand

Although the impact of HIV falls on both partners of a married couple, the burden of stress may not be necessarily shared evenly. The researchers in this study examined the relations among HIV status, gender, and depressive symptoms among 152 married or cohabitating couples living with HIV in the northern and northeastern regions of Thailand. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a 15-item depressive symptom screening test that was developed and used previously in Thailand. Among the 152 couples, 59% were couples in which both members were people living with HIV (seroconcordant; both people living with HIV couples), 28% had only female members with HIV (serodiscordant; females living with HIV couples), and 13% had only male members with HIV (serodiscordant; males living with HIV couples). The prevalence of depressive symptoms between seroconcordant and serodiscordant groups was similar. However, females living with HIV reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, regardless of their partners' HIV status. Future prevention programs focusing on serodiscordant couples should be planned to target HIV risk, as well as emphasis on mental health, with a particular focus on women's increased susceptibility to negative mental health outcomes.