Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May;34(5):639-646.
doi: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1896660. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Polysubstance use and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort

Abraham Degarege  1 , Karl Krupp  2   3 , Javier Tamargo  4 , Sabrina Sales Martinez  4 , Adriana Campa  4 , Marianna Baum  4
Affiliations

Polysubstance use and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort

Abraham Degarege et al. AIDS Care. 2022 May.

Abstract

Evidence for a relationship between polysubstance use, depression, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is limited. The objectives of this study were to examine the associations of depression, illicit drug, and alcohol use with adherence to ART. People living with HIV (PLHIV) from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV cohort were asked about the number of doses of their ART medication missed to assess ART adherence. Harmful alcohol drinking was evaluated using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and illicit substance use assessed with self-report and urine screen. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess depression symptoms. Of 391 PLHIV, 16.6% missed at least one dose (range:1-4) in the past four days. Cocaine/crack, opiate use, and depression were significantly independently associated with a greater mean number of doses missed. The mean number of doses missed was significantly greater among participants who used alcohol in combination with cocaine/crack, marijuana, and tobacco compared to non-users. In conclusion, polysubstance use increased the risk for poor ART adherence among PLHIV. The use of cocaine/crack or opiates individually and depressive symptoms also promote poor ART adherence. An integrated approach targeting substance disorders and depression may help achieve better ART adherence.

Keywords: ART; HIV; MASH; Polysubstance; depression.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to publish this manuscript.

References

    1. Azar P, Wood E, Nguyen P, Luma M, Montaner J, Kerr T, & Milloy M-J (2015). Drug use patterns associated with risk of nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive illicit drug users in a Canadian setting: a longitudinal analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases, 15: 193. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, & Monteiro MG (2001). AUDIT The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Guidelines for use in primary health care. World Health Organization.
    1. Been SK, Schadé A, Bassant N, Kastelijns M, Pogány K, & Verbon A. (2019). Anxiety, depression and treatment adherence among HIV-infected migrants. AIDS Care, 31(8):979–987. - PubMed
    1. Bell C, Metsch LR, Vogenthaler N, Cardenas G, Rodriguez A, & Locascio V,…& Rio CD (2010). Never in care: characteristics of HIV-infected crack cocaine users in 2 US cities who have never been to outpatient HIV care. Journal of Acquire Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 54:376–80. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boyd JH, Weissman MM, Thompson WD, & Meyers JK (1982). Screening for depression in a community sample: Under-standing discrepancies between depression symptom and diagnostic scales. Archives General Psychiatry, 39: 1195–1200. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources