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A Review of Recent Literature on Trauma Among Individuals Living with HIV

  • Behavioral-Bio-Medical Interface (JL Brown and RJ DiClemente, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) report disproportionately high levels of exposure to traumatic events in childhood and adulthood. Traumatic experiences are associated with negative health and behavioral outcomes. Current research in this area seeks to further explicate the myriad health effects of trauma on PLWH and the pathways through which trauma operates. In this paper, we review articles published in English between January 2014 and June 2015 that examine traumatic experiences among PLWH, including intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic abuse, child abuse, and other forms of violence. A selection of studies examining trauma among PLWH and its associations with mental health, antiretroviral medication adherence, clinical outcomes, HIV disclosure, and sexual risk behaviors were included. Studies describing trauma coping strategies and interventions were also included. We conclude with recommendations for care of trauma-exposed PLWH and directions for future research.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. LeGrand, Dr. Reif, Dr. Sullivan, Ms. Murray, and Dr. Whetten declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ms. Barlow is currently employed by Duke University, Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research as a research analyst working on a variety of HIV-related and child-related studies.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke University, 310 Trent Dr., Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Sara LeGrand, Susan Reif, Kristen Sullivan, Morgan L. Barlow & Kathryn Whetten

  2. Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, 310 Trent Dr., Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Sara LeGrand & Kathryn Whetten

  3. FHI360, 359 Blackwell St., Suite 200, Durham, NC, 27701, USA

    Kate Murray

  4. Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, 201 Science Dr, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Kathryn Whetten

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  1. Sara LeGrand
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  2. Susan Reif
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  3. Kristen Sullivan
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  4. Kate Murray
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  5. Morgan L. Barlow
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  6. Kathryn Whetten
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Correspondence to Sara LeGrand.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Behavioral-Bio-Medical Interface

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LeGrand, S., Reif, S., Sullivan, K. et al. A Review of Recent Literature on Trauma Among Individuals Living with HIV. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 12, 397–405 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-015-0288-2

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