Social identity and physical health: accelerated HIV progression in rejection-sensitive gay men

Abstract

Research linking sensitivity to others and their evaluation of the self to alterations in physiologic function led the authors to examine whether HIV infection might progress more rapidly in gay men who are particularly sensitive to social rejection. Analyses of data from a 9-year prospective study of 72 initially healthy HIV-positive gay men indicated that rejection-sensitive individuals experienced a significant acceleration in times to a critically low CD4 T lymphocyte level, times to AIDS diagnosis, and times to HIV-related mortality (despite control for a variety of potential biobehavioral confounders). Accelerated HIV progression was not observed in rejection-sensitive gay men who concealed their homosexual identity, suggesting that concealment may protect such individuals from negative health effects. Data distinguishing rejection sensitivity from other health-relevant psychosocial characteristics are presented, and possible links to HIV pathophysiology are described.