Abstract
Background: Women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience major challenges & often report marked decreases in sexual functioning & quality of life (QOL). HIV-infected women also face challenges concerned with other commonly observed concomitant sexually transmitted organisms, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), which may further affect sexual QOL. Despite advances made in understanding factors that predict sexual functioning & QOL in men with HIV, relatively little is understood about the role of behavioral & emotional factors in women. Methods: As a preliminary inquiry into this question, this study related depressive symptoms, AIDS-related intrusive thoughts & sleep quality with sexual QOL reports in 21 HIV+HPV+ women. Results: We found that depressive symptoms, intrusive thoughts & sleep quality individually predicted poorer sexual QOL. Further analyses suggested that depression mediated the relationship between intrusive thoughts & sexual QOL. Discussion: Implications for further work & clinical interventions to address depressive symptoms in this population are discussed. 18 References. Adapted from the source document.