Pain and psychiatric disorders contribute independently to suicidal ideation in HIV-positive persons.
The relationships between HIV-related pain, psychiatric disorders, and suicidal ideation (SI) are not well understood. The presented research investigated the ability of pain, psychiatric diagnoses, coping styles, and locus of control (LOC) to predict SI in 75 HIV-positive persons, using a sequential logistic regression. Reported psychiatric diagnoses included depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Variance accounted for by these analyses was approximated at 33%, with pain severity independently predicting SI after accounting for psychiatric diagnoses. Coping and LOC did not add significantly to the models. Given the prevalence of pain in this population, these results underscore the importance of assessing and treating pain and SI in persons with HIV.
Dafoe
Michele E
ME
University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Stewart
Katharine E
KE