Variability in daily stressors and depressed mood in the context of chronic HIV stressors.

HIV disproportionately affects young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Moreover, depression is highly comorbid among people living with HIV and has been associated with poorer treatment adherence and increased viral load. While stressors are shown to be associated with depressed mood, whether this relationship holds on a day-to-day basis for YMSM living with HIV remains unexplored. Therefore, the current analysis examines day-to-day associations between daily stressors and depressed mood and whether chronic HIV stressors exacerbate these relationships. Sixty-one YMSM living with HIV were recruited from three Adolescent Trial Network sites in the United States. Chronic HIV stressors were measured at baseline. Daily assessments on stress and mood were collected for 66-days via cell phones. Using a location-scale multilevel model, we examined the associations between daily stressors and the level and intraindividual variability of daily depressed mood with cross-level moderation by chronic HIV stressors. Daily stressors were associated with both greater level (b = 0.45, 95% CI, 0.30-0.62, p < .001) and intraindividual variability in daily depressed mood (b = 0.42, 95% CI, 0.37-0.48, p < .001). However, cross-level moderation by chronic HIV stressors attenuated these associations. Although we expected chronic HIV stressors to worsen day-to-day associations between stressors and mood, HIV stressors appeared to attenuate those associations. Dysregulation of the stress response or the adaptiveness of experiencing some adversity versus none may explain this relationship. With implications for ending the HIV epidemic, these complex relationships warrant further investigation.