Abstract
This study aimed to explore whether there were differences in suicidal ideation at different time points among sexual minority men (SMM) within five years of HIV diagnosis, and to investigate the influence of time and psychosocial variables on suicidal ideation. This was a five-year follow-up study focusing on the suicidal ideation among HIV-positive SMM who were recruited when they were newly diagnosed with HIV. Suicidal ideation and psychosocial characteristics including depression, anxiety, HIV-related stress, and social support were assessed within one month, the first year, and the fifth year after HIV diagnosis. A total of 197 SMM newly diagnosed with HIV completed three-time point surveys in this study. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 27.4%, 15.7%, and 23.9% at one month, the first year, and the fifth year after HIV diagnosis, respectively. The risk of suicidal ideation was lower in the first year than baseline, but there was no significant difference between the fifth year and baseline. Emotional stress and objective support independently predicted suicidal ideation and they had interactions with time. The suicidal ideation of SMM newly diagnosed with HIV decreased in the first year and then increased in the fifth year, not showing a sustained decline trend in a longer trajectory of HIV diagnosis. Stress management, especially long-term stress assessment and management with a focus on emotional stress should be incorporated into HIV health care in an appropriate manner. In addition, social support should also be continuously provided to this vulnerable population.
Highlights
Suicidal behavior is recognized as a spectrum which covers a range of continuum acts from suicidal ideation, suicide plan, attempted suicide to completed suicide [1]
To see whether the effects of psychosocial variables on suicidal ideation changed over time, we examined the interaction between time factors and significant psychosocial variables in multivariate generalized estimation equation (GEE) models
HIV‐Related Clinical Information HIV-related clinical information was collected from Comprehensive Response Information Management System (CRIMS), which included CD4 counts and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation status
Summary
Suicidal behavior is recognized as a spectrum which covers a range of continuum acts from suicidal ideation, suicide plan, attempted suicide to completed suicide [1]. Suicidal ideation is the first step towards suicide and has been shown to predict later suicide plan, suicide attempt and completed suicide [2, 3]. Suicide among sexual minority men (SMM) who are HIV-positive has become a growing major public health problem and has attracted concerns among scholars worldwide [5,6,7,8,9]. Because of non-heterosexual orientation, SMM experience significant mental health problems in China, including suicidal ideation [11,12,13,14]. The suicidal ideation of SMM has become a topic of increasing concern as the
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