Findings such as these have led Morrill and colleagues (2001) and Schilling et al. (1993) to
conclude that HIV prevention and intervention efforts–particularly those targeting women–would
be wise to address issues surrounding depression.
In the present study, we examine the role that depression plays in affecting the HIV risk
behavior practices of a population of “at risk” women. We present a conceptual model for the
manner in which we hypothesize depression to affect their risk levels, subject this model to
empirical testing, and then discuss the findings in light of their implications for HIV intervention
efforts. We chose to focus on depression here not only because of the lack of research on this
subject, but also because there is good reason to anticipate that depression will have an adverse
effect on women’s HIV risk practices. In great part, we believe, this is the result of the negative
impact that depression has on feelings of hopefulness and how these feelings, in turn, shape the
behaviors in which women engage. We hypothesize that women who are depressed will, by
virtue of their depression, be more likely to feel hopeless about certain aspects of their lives and
that this hopelessness, in turn, will make them less willing (and/or less able) to engage in the
types of behaviors that keep them safe from HIV. Research on the relationship between
depression and hopelessness among women supports this underlying supposition (Myers et al.,
2002).
The Conceptual Model
In this model (See Figure 1), depression is conceptualized as an intervening, or
mediating, variable in the relationship predicting women’s involvement in HIV risk behaviors. It
is hypothesized to have a direct, negative effect on women’s risky practices and to have an
adverse influence their attitudes toward using condoms. Women experiencing greater levels of
Convention