Depressive symptoms in blood donors notified of HIV infection.
OBJECTIVE
Understanding more about the psychological state of persons notified of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is critical for designing notification and counseling programs that will have the most positive effect.


METHODS
The subjects were blood donors who had been notified of HIV infection by the New York Blood Center. A nurse elicited a medical history, performed a limited medical examination, and asked the subjects to complete a questionnaire that included questions about drug use, sexual behavior, and psychological characteristics. The subjects completed another questionnaire approximately 2 weeks later.


RESULTS
The average depressive symptom scores for both men and women were substantially higher than scores typically found in representative population samples. More than a quarter of the men and more than a third of the women reported seeking psychological or psychiatric services in the first few weeks following notification.


CONCLUSIONS
Anticipating and meeting individuals' psychological needs may be necessary if HIV screening programs are to address effectively the needs of persons infected with HIV.
Cleary
P D
PD
Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02115.
Van Devanter
N
N
Rogers
T F
TF
Singer
E
E
Shipton-Levy
R
R
Steilen
M
M
Stuart
A
A
Avorn
J
J
Pindyck
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011581:Psychological Tests; D044469:Racial Groups; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology