Perceived stress is associated with CD4+ cell decline in men and women living with HIV/AIDS in Spain.

This study assessed whether perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was associated with a decline in CD4+ cell counts over a six-month period in 59 men and 41 women living with HIV-1. Participants underwent psychological and medical assessment at the study entry (baseline) and again at six months post-baseline. In a hierarchical regression model controlling for sociodemographic (e.g. age, gender, education, income) and disease-related variables (e.g. duration of antiretroviral treatment, antiretroviral treatment and adherence, CD4+ cell count and viral load), perceived stress was associated with the decline in CD4+ cell count over the six-month period. These findings suggest perceived psychosocial stress is associated with CD4+ cell count decline independent of sociodemographic factors and disease status among men and women on antiretroviral medication for HIV/AIDS.