Faculty Articles

Title

Disparities in psychological, neuroendocrine, and immunologic patterns in asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive and seronegative gay men

ISBN or ISSN

0006-3223

Publication Title

Biological Psychiatry

Volume

29

Issue

10

Publication Date / Copyright Date

5-15-1991

First Page

1023

Last Page

1041

Abstract

The present study concurrently measured psychological distress (state anxiety, depression, confusion, and intrusive thoughts), neuroendocrine (plasma cortisol concentrations), and immunologic [lymphocyte proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM)] changes in the 5-week periods preceding and following serostatus notification among asymptomatic Human Immunodeficiency Virus-type 1 (HIV-1) seropositive and seronegative gay men. Seropositives, as opposed to seronegatives, showed a disparity in predicted relationships among distress, cortisol, and immunologic measures across the prenotification to postnotification period. Individual difference analyses suggested that among seropositives, in contrast to seronegatives, plasma cortisol concentrations were negatively correlated with psychological distress and positively correlated with responses to PHA (assessed at study entry and after serostatus notification). This pattern in seropositives could not be explained by differences in prenotification perceived risk of infectivity, extraneous environmental stressors, or CD4 cell counts within the seropositive group.

Disciplines

Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy

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Peer Reviewed

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