Experiences of recent hate-related violence and their association with mental and physical health among people living with HIV in Atlanta, Georgia.

BACKGROUND

People with HIV (PWH) are disproportionately affected by violence. The majority of violence research has focused on intimate partner violence, childhood abuse, gender-based violence, and sexual violence more generally. Less research has examined community violence among PWH. In this analysis, we test the association between hate crime experience and mental and HIV outcomes in a sample of adults with HIV, majority of whom are Black/African American, living in Atlanta, Georgia.

SETTING

PWH were recruited from HIV service settings (N = 285) to participate in a cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Primary association was tested using logistic regression models with the following outcomes: anxiety, depression, PTSD, ever virally suppressed, continuous viral suppression, and engagement in HIV care. A two-way interaction term examined gender as potential effect measure modifier of the association between hate crime experience and health outcomes.

RESULTS

Roughly half the sample (N = 125) experienced a hate crime in the past 12 months. In the multivariate model adjusted for covariates, hate crime survivors had 4.02 higher odds of experiencing PTSD symptoms over the last four weeks compared to persons who did not suffer hate violence (95% CI 2.06, 7.85).

CONCLUSION

HIV treatment interventions and care practices treating PWH with hate violence experience should respond to PTSD symptoms.