Psychosocial Factors, Sexual Importance, and Sexual Desire Among Women Living with HIV

Background: Prior research has shown that sexual desire and sexual importance among women living with HIV has been linked to an increase in sexual behavior.  However studies examining the psychosocial factors, which may be associated with sexual importance and sexual desire among women living with HIV is lacking.  The aim of this study was to determine the association between psychosocial factors including loneliness, self-esteem, depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress, and sexual importance and sexual desire among women living with HIV.

Methods: Data were obtained from 127 women living with HIV as part of a disclosure research study (2001-2004).  Linear regression models were used to determine associations between loneliness, self-esteem, depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress, and their associations with sexual importance and sexual desire.

Results: Crude models showed that depressive and anxiety symptoms were positively associated with sexual importance (β: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.27 and β: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.40, respectively).  Self-esteem was positively associated (β: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.22) and depressive symptoms were negatively associated (β: -0.28, 95% CI:-0.54, -0.02) with sexual desire.  However, adjusting for age attenuated the relationships between depressive and anxiety symptoms, and sexual importance so that confidence intervals included unity.  Nevertheless, the associations between self-esteem, depressive symptoms and sexual desire remained statistically significant (β: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.23 and β: -0.29, 95% CI: -0.55, -0.03, respectively).

Conclusions: Health care providers (including physicians, counselors and social workers) for women living with HIV should note that accentuating self-esteem and attenuating depressive symptoms among women living with HIV may increase their sexual desire.  Age is a major confounding factor in the associations between depressive and anxiety symptoms, and sexual importance.  Future studies should examine the relationships between depressive and anxiety symptoms, and sexual importance, and moderating effects by age group.