SPIRITUALITY, SELF-ESTEEM, AND DEPRESSION IN HIV+ ADULTS WHO
USE COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

                 Andrew Scherbarth, B.S.,  Mark Vosvick Ph.D., and Sharita Clay

Depression is reported to be a common challenge for HIV+ adults. This study, part of a larger study that examined Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage in the HIV+ population, explores the relationship between an individual's spirituality, self-esteem and depression. HIV+ individuals who reported CAM usage were recruited from AIDS Service Organizations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Participants (n=40; 50%female) included 65% African Americans, 30% Caucasians, 5% Hispanic with 65% reporting an AIDS diagnosis. Participants completed demographic, medical questionnaires and three psychosocial measures. Spirituality was assessed with the Ironson/Woods Spirituality/Religiosity Index, self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and depression with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Both spirituality (r=-.47, p<.01) and self-esteem (r=-50, p<.01) were negatively and significantly associated with depression. Although a positive association between self-esteem and spirituality existed, it did not reach significance.

A linear regression analysis [adjusted R²=.37, F(3,36)=8.72, p<.001] found that as the Sense of Peace spirituality subscale increased (t=-2.99, p<.005) and as self-esteem increased (t=-2.93, p<.006), participants reported less depression. Surprisingly, trending towards significance in our model was whether a participant had an AIDS diagnosis (t=-1.76, p=.088), since those that did also reported lower levels of depression. These findings suggest that spirituality and self-esteem might be useful topics to address when counseling adults living with HIV/AIDS. The counterintuitive finding that participants with an AIDS diagnosis report lower levels of depression may be explained by the spirituality component of coming to terms with their mortality. Research needs to be conducted to fully explicate the role that spirituality and self-esteem play in the lives of adults living with HIV/AIDS.