Women represent the fastest growing population of the AIDS epidemic, with rates doubling every 1 to 2 years (CDC, 1996). As of June 1997, women accounted for 15 percent of the total cumulative number of persons with AIDS (CDC 1997). Compared to men with AIDS, women with AIDS are more likely to be poor, minority, intravenous drug users, and exposed through heterosexual contact (Mays and Cochran, 1988; CDC, 1996). Although HIV-infected men and women differ in these characteristics, previous research in the area of medication adherence has been conducted primarily in HIV-positive gay men, raising questions about the generalizability of the findings to women. The dissertation research will be a prospective, longitudinal study to examine the extent to which variables influence compliance in HIV-infected women. Specifically, the specific aims are to: 1) Determine the prevalence of medication compliance with antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected women; 2) Assess the roles of depression, illness variables demographics that impact compliance; and 3) Assess change in compliance over time. Data from the HIV Costs and Services Utilization Survey (HCSUS) and the supplemental mental Health Study will be analyzed to test the research hypotheses. HCSUS is the first national probability study of HIV patients and medical providers (AHCPR, 1997). It will collect medical and non-medical utilization and costs data on 3300 HIV-positive persons in 28 urban and five rural areas in the United States over 18 months. The Mental Health Study will collect prevalence, access, and quality data pertaining to psychiatric disorders among HIV-infected individuals. Medical, pharmaceutical, and psychiatric records will be abstracted for the dissertation research. Data from these two studies will become available in 1998 through public use tapes for interested researchers.
