The relationship between HIV disease classification and depression and suicidal intent

The purpose of this non-experimentally designed study was to investigate the relationship between HIV disease classification, depression and suicidal intent. A convenience sample of eighty HIV infected persons was obtained from The Bering Care Center in Houston, Texas. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hopelessness Scale (HS), and a Demographic Data Sheet (DDS) were used to collect data.

Subjects were classified into three groups; HIV+ (19;24%), ARC (26;33%), and AIDS (35;43%). The majority of subjects were male (77;96.3%) homosexuals (57;71.3%) who had completed some college education (44;55%). Thoughts of suicide occurred at some time since HIV diagnosis (70;88%).

An ANOVA indicated a significant difference between subjects with ARC (X = 9.6923, n = 26), subjects with AIDS (X = 8.8571, n = 35), and subjects who were HIV+ (X = 13.2105, n = 19) on measures of suicidal intent. Subjects with ARC (X = 23.1538, n = 26) and AIDS (X = 23.1286, n = 35) were significantly more depressed than HIV+ subjects (X = 14.8421, n = 19). These findings indicate a need for early assessment and intervention.