The effects of HIV status disclosure and social support on depressive symptoms among males who have sex with males living with HIV in Lebanon

Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder, is the most common mental health problem among people living with HIV (PLWH). Depressive symptoms among PLWH slows their recovery and affects the quality of their lives. Moreover, depressive symptoms among PLWH in countries that still discriminates LGBTQIA+ individuals is found to be the highest among sexual minorities including MSM (Males who have Sex with Males) due to the double discrimination and stigma related to both HIV and sexual orientation. Empirical research has shown that social support followed by HIV status negatively correlated with depressive symptoms among PLWH. This study explores the relationship between HIV status disclosure, social support and depressive symptoms among MSM living in Lebanon. PHQ-9 was used to assess depressive symptoms and mMOS-SS was used to assess social support. The sample consisted of N=41 MSM beneficiaries living with HIV aged between 21 and 60 years old. Results indicated a negative correlation between social support and depressive symptoms. When it comes to HIV status disclosure, results indicated no significant difference between people who voluntarily vs non-voluntarily disclosed their HIV in relation to depressive symptoms. However, results indicated a significant difference between people who got their HIV status disclosed against their will (with a higher average on PHQ-9) and people who willingly disclosed their HIV status in relation to depressive symptoms. Moreover, the results indicated a significant difference between people who voluntarily vs non-voluntarily disclosed their HIV status in relation to tangible support from the mMOS-SS assessment.