Table I.
Characteristics of HIV caregivers and former or current injection drug using care recipients and their associations with caregiver-recipient agreement on recipient’s mental health status (chi-square tests; Beacon study; N = 258).
| Characteristic
|
Care Recipient
|
Caregiver
|
|---|---|---|
| N(%) or Mean(SD)a | N(%) or Mean(SD) | |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 148(57.4) | 105 (40.7) |
| Female | 110 (42.6) | 153 (59.3) |
| Race | ||
| African American/Black | 218 (84.5) | 229 (89.1) |
| White | 16 (6.2) | 14 (5.4) |
| Other | 24 (9.3) | 14 (5.4) |
| Education | ||
| 8th grade less | 19 (7.4)*** | 13 (5.0) |
| Some high school | 107 (41.5) | 87 (33.7) |
| High school diploma or GED | 89 (34.5) | 101 (39.2) |
| Some college or technical school | 32 (12.4) | 45 (17.4) |
| College degree | 7 (2.7) | 7 (2.7) |
| Graduate training | 4 (1.6) | 5 (1.9) |
| Income (Monthly) | ||
| $499 or less | 52(20.2)** | 61 (23.6) |
| $500–$999 | 158 (61.2) | 99 (39.0) |
| $1,000–$1,999 | 35 (13.6) | 37 (14.6) |
| $1,500–$1,999 | 7 (2.7) | 22 (8.7) |
| $2,000+ | 6 (2.3) | 35 (13.8) |
| Current substance use | 152 (58.9) | 91 (35.3) |
| Viral load undetectable by serum test | 173 (67.1)** | |
| Relationship | ||
| Partner | 99 (38.4)** | |
| Kin | 110 (42.6) | |
| Friend | 46 (17.8) | |
| Other or missing | 3 (1.2) | |
| Has HIV/AIDS | 112 (43.4)*** | |
| Age | 47.6 (6.3)* | 47.3 (11.1) |
| Depressive symptoms | ||
| Lower (CESD score 0–15) | 155(60.1) | 173 (67.3) |
| Higher (CESD score 16+) | 103(39.9) | 84 (32.7) |
| PLHAs’ mental health statusb | ||
| Excellent, very good, or good | 162(62.8) | |
| Fair or poor | 96(37.2) | |
| Mental health agreement groups | ||
| Group 1: Agree with poor mental health | 54(20.9) | |
| Group 2: Disagree with Caregiver underestimating poor mental health | 49(19.0) | |
| Group 3: Disagree with Caregiver overestimating poor mental health | 42(16.3) | |
| Group 4: Agree with good mental health | 113(43.8) | |
a
SD = Standard Deviation