Grant: Fellowship - PA: Health Services/Population Health HIV/AIDS Research

The goal of this research is to improve mental and physical well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA). With new medications, HIV has been successfully transformed from a fatal to a chronic illness. However, medical/health related HIV outcomes are often complicated by complex comorbid mental health issues (e.g., depression). Depression is a major problem for many PHAs, and interpersonal relationships have a significant impact on depression. Therefore, researchers are encouraging future research to include aspects of attachment (i.e., reflections of interpersonal behaviour and emotion regulation) in therapeutic HIV interventions and to examine potential links between attachment, mental health and HIV medical treatments. Yet, there is limited research on attachment styles among PHAs. The objective of this research is to advance our understanding of the role of attachment styles for PHAs. First, I will examine the distribution of attachment styles among PHAs, and the relationship between insecure attachment and depression. Next I will determine how comorbid insecure attachment style and depression impacts: adherence to HIV treatment interventions; medication adherence; smoking behaviour; quality of life, and CD4/viral loads among PHAs. The sample will consist of PHAs who completed a HIV treatment adherence intervention, and PHAs who completed a HIV Quit Smoking psychological intervention. Participants receive several treatment sessions and complete measures of attachment, depression, quality of life, medication adherence and immunological functioning (i.e., CD4 counts, viral loads) at multiple time points. This research will help clinicians, physicians, and PHAs understand how emotional and interpersonal patterns influence health. Understanding how insecure attachment styles and depression interact will improve current treatment protocols for PHAs in Canada, and will serve to advocate for the importance of addressing comorbid mental health conditions in PHAs.