Psychosocial Factors Associated with Disclosure of HIV Positive Serostatus: Understanding the Influence of Depression and Social Support

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationships of demographic and psychosocial variables to disclosure of HIV infection. HIV-positive adults (n = 156) completed measures assessing depression, perceived satisfaction with social support, and attitudes related to disclosure among their social network. Nearly everyone in this sample (98%) disclosed HIV status to at least one person. Greater depressive symptoms were reported among participants who experienced regret after disclosure. Moreover, the decision never to disclose was associated with less social support satisfaction. These findings suggest that interventions that develop effective serostatus disclosure skills may be efficacious in decreasing psychosocial distress among HIV-positive adults.