Social support and depressive symptoms among people living with HIV in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms, levels of social support, and their association among 4,089 clinically stable people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) across 20 clinics in Cambodia. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10), and social support was measured using the Berlin Social Support Scale (BSSS). Overall, 19.5% of participants reported depressive symptoms, while the median social support score was 54 (range 15-60), indicating generally high support levels. Participants with depressive symptoms were more likely to live in urban areas (76.7%) and less likely to have completed secondary education (66.8%). Higher levels of received social support were significantly associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.62; 95% CI 0.58-0.67; p < 0.001). This association remained robust after adjusting for clinical, care-related, and access-related factors, suggesting that social support independently contributes to better mental health outcomes among people living with HIV. These findings highlight the importance of integrating psychosocial support into HIV care to help reduce depressive symptoms.