Relationship-specific unsupportive social interactions and depressive symptoms among women living with HIV/AIDS: direct and moderating effects.

Abstract

Although unsupportive social interactions have demonstrated strong relations with psychological adjustment to illness, little research has been directed at the differential effects of unsupportive interactions from different relationship sources (i.e., family, friends, or a lover/spouse). The present study examines whether the source of unsupportive social interactions has differential main and interactive relations with depressive symptoms among an ethnically diverse sample of women living with HIV/AIDS (N = 146). After imposing demographic controls, unsupportive social interactions from family were found to have a main effect predicting more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, a significant interaction was identified between unsupportive interactions from a lover/spouse and from friends, such that high levels of unsupportive interactions from either or both sources predicted high levels of depressive symptoms. Only when neither source of unsupportive interactions was at a high level were nonclinical levels of depressive symptoms predicted.