Abstract
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) places women at risk for HIV infection and
once infected, for poor mental health outcomes, including lower quality of life
and depressive symptoms. Among HIV-positive and demographically matched
HIV-negative women, we investigated whether resilience and HIV status moderated
the relationships between CSA and health indices as well as the relationships
among CSA, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).
Participants included 202 women (138 HIV+, 64 HIV−, 87% African American)
from the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Chicago CORE Center site.
Results indicated that in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, higher
resilience significantly related to lower depressive symptoms and higher HRQOL.
CSA related to higher depressive symptoms only for women scoring low in
resilience. Interventions to promote resilience, especially in women with a CSA
history, might minimize depressive symptoms and poor HRQOL among HIV-positive
and HIV-negative women.
