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Although there is evidence of individual associations between depressive symptoms and hazardous alcohol use with suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people living with HIV (PLWH), few studies have established how the two risk factors may interact to predict viral suppression. We conducted secondary data analyses with two cohorts of Ugandan PLWH (N = 657) to investigate the hypothesized interaction between depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and hazardous alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test -Consumption and/or Phosphatidylethanol biomarker) prior to ART initiation with viral suppression (

Objective: Understanding individual level factors associated with sexual risk behaviors among African-American adolescents remains an important public health priority. The current secondary data analysis examined the longitudinal association between a baseline assessment of depressive symptoms and sexual risk behaviors reported 6 months later; the purpose was to determine whether the association of depressive symptoms to risky sex varies as a function of gender. A secondary aim was to examine self-efficacy for sex refusal and condom use assessed at a 3-month follow-up as mediators of the depressive symptoms-sexual risk relationship. Methods: The sample consisted of 782 sexually active African-American adolescents (Mage = 15.3 years, SD = 1.08; 54% female) recruited to participate in a sexual health intervention trial. Data analyses focused on vaginal sex, and outcomes included: (a) sexual activity with 2 or more partners in the previous 3 months; (b) the relative frequency of condom use in the previous 3 months; (c) noncondom use at last occasion of sex; and (d) positive sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening. Results: Depressive symptoms predicted sex with 2 more partners for female participants, but no other risk markers for the sample as a whole. However, there was a significant indirect effect of depressive symptoms on condomless sex via decreased condom use self-efficacy for both male and female adolescents. Conclusions: These findings have important implications for HIV/STI prevention, in which behavioral interventions may benefit from modules that include a focus on the influence of mood on self-efficacy for safer sex practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are disproportionately affected by mental health problems, including depression and suicidality. Recently, there has been increased interest in developing and adapting evidence-based treatments for depressive symptoms tailored to address the unique issues facing SGMY. This is the first systematic review of interventions targeting depressive symptoms that have been adapted for SGMY populations. Findings from these studies provide evidence in support of the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy for SGM-informed interventions for the treatment of depressive symptoms. Fully powered randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the efficacy of these adapted treatments prior to dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]