IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pmen00/0000590.html

The moderating role of HIV status in the association between gender identity and depression among sexual and gender minorities in Abuja, Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Ruxton Adebiyi
  • Chama John
  • Megan E Mansfield
  • Andrew Mitchell
  • Jibreel Jumare
  • Rachel Sullivan Robinson
  • Typhanye Dyer
  • Rodman Turpin
  • Man Charurat
  • Sylvia Adebajo

Abstract

In Nigeria, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience disproportionately high rates of depression, exacerbated by layered stigma related to gender identity and HIV status. However, little is known about how HIV status may modify the relationship between gender identity and depression in this context. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from 977 SGM participants recruited through respondent-driven sampling at an SGM-friendly clinic in Abuja, Nigeria (2023–2024). Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), with scores ≥10 indicating major depression symptomatology. We employed multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between gender identity, HIV status, and depression, including interaction effects. Overall, 18% of participants exhibited major depression symptomatology. Depressive symptoms were more common among transgender women (25%) and non-binary individuals (26%) than cisgender men (16%), and higher among persons living with HIV (PLHIV; 20%) compared to those without (15%). In adjusted models, both transgender women (aOR 2.05; 95% CI: 1.09–3.88) and non-binary individuals (aOR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.43–3.95) had higher odds of depression than cisgender men. Financial insecurity (aOR 5.78; 95% CI: 3.77–8.86) and employment (aOR 1.73; 95% CI: 1.18–2.52) were also independently associated with depression. Notably, the joint effect of non-cisgender identity and HIV was supra-additive: PLHIV who were non-binary had an aOR of 4.10 (95% CI: 2.16–7.77) for depression, with a relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) of 2.96. HIV status modifies the association between gender identity and depression among SGM in Nigeria. These findings underscore the need for intersectional, stigma-informed mental health interventions and affirming care models that address the unique vulnerabilities faced by PLHIV with non-cisgender identities.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruxton Adebiyi & Chama John & Megan E Mansfield & Andrew Mitchell & Jibreel Jumare & Rachel Sullivan Robinson & Typhanye Dyer & Rodman Turpin & Man Charurat & Sylvia Adebajo, 2026. "The moderating role of HIV status in the association between gender identity and depression among sexual and gender minorities in Abuja, Nigeria," PLOS Mental Health, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(5), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pmen00:0000590
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000590
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000590
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000590&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000590?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pmen00:0000590. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: mentalhealth (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.