Longitudinal analysis of the role of mindfulness on HIV stigma, depression, substance use and HIV outcomes among female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic.
Yan Wang, Carla J Berg, Yeycy Donastorg, Martha Perez, Hoisex Gomez, Tahilin Sanchez Karver, Noya Galai, Erica Sibinga, Clare Barrington, Deanna Kerrigan
AIDS care January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2024.2437695 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic, greater mindfulness was linked to lower depression and HIV stigma, and higher antiretroviral therapy adherence both at the same time and at later time points. Higher mindfulness also showed contemporaneous associations with reduced at-risk alcohol use and higher viral suppression. The findings suggest that mindfulness instruction could help improve mental health and HIV outcomes in this population.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 240 |
| Population | Female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic |
| Duration | 2018 to 2021 |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Hiv Stigma Substance use |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Greater mindfulness was associated with lower depression and HIV stigma and higher ART adherence both contemporaneously and over time, and with reduced at-risk alcohol use and higher viral suppression at the same time point. |
Abstract
Female sex workers (FSW) living with HIV experience greater depression and worse HIV outcomes than people living with HIV (PLHIV) overall. Mindfulness is related to lower depression and higher ART adherence in PLHIV. Few studies have assessed these relationships among FSW, especially longitudinally. This study assessed the temporal relationship between mindfulness, mental health and HIV outcomes among FSW from the Dominican Republic (DR). We analyzed data collected between 2018 and 2021 among 240 FSW using mixed modeling to assess contemporaneous relationships and time-lagged relationships between mindfulness and mental health (i.e., depression,HIV stigma, drug and alcohol use ), and HIV outcomes (i.e., ART adherence, viral suppression) , accounting for clustering of repeated measures. Greater mindfulness showed contemporaneous and time-lagged associations with lower depression (contemporaneous: b = -0.57, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001; time-lagged: b = -0.16, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001), lower HIV stigma (contemporaneous: b = -0.11, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001; time-lagged: b = -0.08, SE = 0.03, p = 0.003) and higher ART adherence (contemporaneous: b = 0.03, SE = 0.01, p = 0.003; time-lagged: b = 0.04, SE = 0.01, p = 0.004), and contemporaneous associations with reduced at-risk alcohol use and higher viral suppression (aOR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.99-1.00, p = 0.003; aOR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.01, p = 0.036, separately). Mindfulness instruction is a promising intervention for reducing depression and HIV stigma, and promoting better HIV outcomes among FSW living with HIV, meriting future intervention research in this area.