Mood Disorders Common in Black Women With HIV

Mood-related disorders were frequent among Black women with HIV but were not associated with poorer retention in care, according to findings published in Women’s Health Issues. Amanda D. Castel, MD, MPH, and colleagues assessed associations between mental health (eg, mood- or trauma-related) or substance use disorders and lack of retention in care among 2,181 non-Hispanic Black women with HIV. In total, 690 women (31.64%) were not retained in care. The prevalence of mood-related disorders (39.84%) was higher than that of substance use (16.19%) or trauma-related disorders (7.75%). Factors inversely associated with lack of retention in care included age (per 10-year increase; adjusted OR [aOR], 0.87) and the diagnosis of a mood-related disorder (aOR, 0.72). “Future studies should examine key facilitators for Black women with HIV and coexisting mood-related disorders and how they impact retention in care,” Dr. Castel and colleagues wrote.