This study investigated if homophobic and racist discrimination increased depressive symptoms among 960 middle-aged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) and how resilience moderated these relationships. We used five waves of longitudinal data from the Healthy Aging sub-study of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). We used linear regression analyses to model depressive symptoms as a function of discrimination. We used linear mixed analyses to model changes in mean resilience scores across visits. We used linear regression analyses to model depressive symptoms as a function of changes in resilience and to test the moderation effects of resilience on the relationship between discrimination and depressive symptoms. The models accounted for repeated measures of resilience. Men who experienced external and internal homophobia had greater depressive symptoms (β: 2.08; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.65, 3.51; β: 1.60; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.76, 2.44). Men experienced significant changes in mean resilience levels across visits (F = 2.84, p = 0.02). Men with a greater positive change in resilience had lower depressive symptoms (β: -0.95; 95% Confidence Interval: -1.47, -0.43). Men with higher average resilience levels had lower depressive symptoms (β: -5.08; 95% Confidence Interval: -5.68, -4.49). Men's resilience did not moderate the relationship between homophobia and depressive symptoms. Significant associations of external and internal homophobia with greater depressive symptoms present targets for future research and interventions among middle-aged and older MSM. Significant associations of average and positive changes in resilience with lower depressive symptoms provide aims for future research and interventions with this population.

Background

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV experts suggested that an increase in mental health diagnoses and substance use among people living with HIV (PLHIV) may be an unintended consequence of COVID-19 mitigation efforts (e.g., limiting social contact). We evaluated short-term trajectories in binge drinking, marijuana, and recreational drug use in a prospective cohort of PLHIV.

Methods

Data (N = 2121 PLHIV) consist of survey responses on substance use behaviors from two pre-COVID-19 (October 2018-September 2019) and one COVID-19-era (April 2020-September 2020) timepoints within the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS). We conducted group-based trajectory models, triangulated with generalized linear mixed models, to assess changes in binge drinking, daily marijuana use, and recreational drug use at the start of the pandemic. Controlling for age and race/ethnicity, we tested whether trajectories differed by sex and early-pandemic depressive symptoms, loneliness, and social support.

Results

Group-based trajectory models yielded two trajectory groups for binge drinking (none vs. any), marijuana (none/infrequent vs. daily), and recreational drug use (none vs. any). Binge drinking and recreational drug use decreased at the beginning of the pandemic. Generalized linear mixed model supported these trends. Consistent with prior research, male sex and having depressive symptoms early pandemic were positively associated with each substance use outcomes. Social support was inversely associated with recreational drug use.

Conclusions

Contrary to hypotheses, problematic substance use behaviors decreased from pre-pandemic to the post-pandemic follow-up in our sample of PLHIV. Ongoing surveillance is needed to assess whether this pattern persists as the pandemic continues.