A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CONSEQUENCES OF HIV-1 INFECTION IN GAY MEN .2. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HEALTH-STATUS AT BASE-LINE AND AT 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP

The aim of this study was to determine whether HIV infection is associ ated with increased psychosocial distress in the asymptomatic and earl y symptomatic stages of disease and to determine the factors associate d with reporting health symptoms. Subjects included 61 gay men (41 HIV -, 20 HIV+) who were assessed at the time of requesting their first HI V test and again 12 months later. Measures included a detailed standar dized psychiatric interview (Present State Examination, PSE), a range of psychosocial self-report measures and a physical symptom checklist. There were no differences between the HIV+ and HIV- groups in terms o f self-reported symptoms. Multiple regression analysis showed that the symptom reporting was not associated with clinical or immunological m arkers of disease progression but was associated with measures of psyc hosocial distress. Although both groups showed elevated levels of psyc hosocial distress at the time of HIV testing, there were no difference s between serostatus groups at follow-up. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the best predictors of PSE scores at follow-up were ba seline PSE score and a history of psychiatric illness. Early HIV disea se is not associated with increased psychosocial distress and symptom reporting is more closely related to psychological measures than to cl inical or immunological markers of disease.