Psychosocial syndemics and quality of life among Australian people living with HIV.

Leung, Y; Newton-John, T; Alperstein, D; Begley, K; Hennessy, R; Bulsara, S

Psychosocial syndemics and quality of life among Australian people living with HIV.

Leung, Y Newton-John, T

Alperstein, D Begley, K Hennessy, R Bulsara, S

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Publisher:: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: AIDS Care, 2025, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1-19
Issue Date:: 2025-09-30

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Leung, Y
dc.contributor.author	Newton-John, T https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4219-4985
dc.contributor.author	Alperstein, D
dc.contributor.author	Begley, K
dc.contributor.author	Hennessy, R
dc.contributor.author	Bulsara, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2015-853X
dc.date.accessioned	2025-10-15T04:16:42Z
dc.date.available	2025-10-15T04:16:42Z
dc.date.issued	2025-09-30
dc.identifier.citation	AIDS Care, 2025, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1-19
dc.identifier.issn	0954-0121
dc.identifier.issn	1360-0451
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190490
dc.description.abstract	Objective: Advances in treatment have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic illness, yet people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to face psychosocial challenges that reduce quality of life (QoL). These factors often co-occur and interact, creating syndemic effects that worsen outcomes. Method: This study examined relationships between HIV-related stigma, mental health difficulties, and social disconnection in predicting QoL. Participants were 213 PLHIV (184 male, 21 female, eight transgender/other/undisclosed) attending Albion, an urban tertiary HIV clinic in Sydney, Australia. They completed questionnaires assessing stigma, mental health, social support, and QoL. Results: HIV-related stigma, mental health difficulties, and social disconnection each independently predicted poorer QoL. A syndemic effect was found between stigma and social disconnection, with QoL lowest when both were high. Conclusions: Psychosocial comorbidities significantly impact QoL in PLHIV. Findings underscore the value of a syndemic framework to guide clinical research and highlight the need for holistic interventions addressing stigma, social support, and mental health.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	AIDS Care
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/09540121.2025.2562237
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1117 Public Health and Health Services, 1701 Psychology
dc.subject.classification	Public Health
dc.subject.classification	4206 Public health
dc.subject.classification	4410 Sociology
dc.subject.classification	5203 Clinical and health psychology
dc.title	Psychosocial syndemics and quality of life among Australian people living with HIV.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health/Clinical Psychology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Health Technologies (CHT)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-10-15T04:16:41Z
pubs.issue	ahead-of-print
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.citation.issue	ahead-of-print

Abstract:

Objective: Advances in treatment have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic illness, yet people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to face psychosocial challenges that reduce quality of life (QoL). These factors often co-occur and interact, creating syndemic effects that worsen outcomes. Method: This study examined relationships between HIV-related stigma, mental health difficulties, and social disconnection in predicting QoL. Participants were 213 PLHIV (184 male, 21 female, eight transgender/other/undisclosed) attending Albion, an urban tertiary HIV clinic in Sydney, Australia. They completed questionnaires assessing stigma, mental health, social support, and QoL. Results: HIV-related stigma, mental health difficulties, and social disconnection each independently predicted poorer QoL. A syndemic effect was found between stigma and social disconnection, with QoL lowest when both were high. Conclusions: Psychosocial comorbidities significantly impact QoL in PLHIV. Findings underscore the value of a syndemic framework to guide clinical research and highlight the need for holistic interventions addressing stigma, social support, and mental health.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190490