Depression and HIV risk among men who have sex with men in Tanzania

• Published in: AIDS care 2016-03, Vol.28 (sup1), p.140-147
• Main Authors: Ahaneku, Hycienth, Ross, Michael W., Nyoni, Joyce E., Selwyn, Beatrice, Troisi, Catherine, Mbwambo, Jessie, Adeboye, Adeniyi, McCurdy, Sheryl
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abuse; Adolescent; Adult; Africa; Bivariate analysis; Cost analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographics; depression; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Developed countries; Gays & lesbians; Health care expenditures; Health risk assessment; Health risks; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - psychology; Homosexuality; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Male; Men; Men who have sex with men; Mens health; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health services; Poisson density functions; Prevalence; Preventive medicine; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk assessment; Risk behavior; Risk reduction; Risk taking; Sexual behavior; Sexual Partners; Sexually transmitted diseases; Statistical analysis; STD; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tanzania; Tanzania - epidemiology; Verbal abuse
• ISSN: 0954-0121; 1360-0451
• DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1146207

Studies have shown high rates of depression among men who have sex with men (MSM) in developed countries. Studies have also shown association between depression and HIV risk among MSM. However, very little research has been done on depression among African MSM. We assessed depression and HIV risk among a sample of MSM in Tanzania. We reviewed data on 205 MSM who were recruited from two Tanzanian cities using the respondent driven sampling method. Demographic and behavioral data were collected using a structured questionnaire. HIV and sexually transmitted infections data were determined from biological tests. Depression scores were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). For the analysis, depression scores were dichotomized as depressed (PHQ > 4) and not depressed (PHQ ≤ 4). Bivariate and multivariable Poisson regression analyses were conducted to assess factors associated with depression. The prevalence of depression in the sample was 46.3%. The mean (±SD) age of the sample was 25 (±5) years. In bivariate analysis, depression was associated with self-identifying as gay (p = .001), being HIV positive (p