Psychosocial characteristics of New York City HIV-infected women before and after the advent of HAART

Objectives. We compared level of psychosocial distress of HIV-infected women living in New York City before the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with level of psychosocial distress reported by women living with the disease after the use of HAART became widespread. Methods. Data were from HIV-positive New York City women aged 18 to 50 years, enrolled through outreach and self-referral. We compared scores on measures of psychological state and psychosocial adjustment to illness of 74 women interviewed in 1994-1996 with scores of a matched group of 74 women interviewed in 2000-2002. Results. A significant difference between groups was found only with regard to adjustment to illness in their domestic environment, with poorer adjustment reported, on average, by women in the 2000-2002 sample. Conclusions. Although new treatments have significantly improved the physical health of those living with HIV/AIDS, no evidence was found that these treatments significantly improved psychological health for women, regardless of history of protease inhibitor use.