Exploring Distress Tolerance as an Underlying Mechanism in the Relation Between Negative Affectivity and Anxiety/Depression Among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) suffer disproportionately from a variety of mood disorders relative to the general population, yet, there is little understanding of the underlying nature behind this. The present study explored the indirect effect of perceived distress tolerance in relation between negative affectivity and anxiety/depressive symptoms and disorders among PLHIV. Participants included 97 PLHIV (60.8% male; 66% Minority; M-age = 48.5 years, SE = 7.7). Results revealed indirect effects of negative affectivity via perceived distress tolerance in relation to social anxiety, depression symptoms, as well as the existence of any anxiety disorder; findings were evident after controlling for covariates. Perceived distress tolerance may serve as a construct to aid understanding in the relation between negative affectivity and the expression of anxiety/depressive symptoms and disorders among PLHIV. Future work may consider addressing distress tolerance in efforts to offset the severity of the expression of anxiety/depressive symptoms among PLHIV.