HIV status affects PTSD symptom severity, psychophysiology, and heart rate variability in women with low but not high exposure to childhood maltreatment
Vasiliki Michopoulos,
Mariana Rocha,
Rebecca Hinrichs,
Susie Turkson,
Samya Dyer,
Paul Howell,
Elizabeth C. Heaton,
Jakayla Hart,
Abigail Powers,
Yara Mekawi,
Sierra Carter,
Ighovwerha Ofotokun,
Tanja Jovanovic,
Gretchen N. Neigh
Affiliations
Vasiliki Michopoulos
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Mariana Rocha
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Rebecca Hinrichs
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Susie Turkson
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Samya Dyer
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Paul Howell
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Elizabeth C. Heaton
Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA
Jakayla Hart
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Abigail Powers
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Yara Mekawi
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Sierra Carter
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Ighovwerha Ofotokun
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Tanja Jovanovic
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Gretchen N. Neigh
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
AbstractObjective People living with HIV (PLWH) experience high rates of childhood maltreatment, which increases risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thus, it is important to understand how HIV status interacts with childhood maltreatment to influence PTSD symptom severity and underlying psychophysiology.Methods The current study assessed whether HIV status interacts with childhood maltreatment to influence PTSD symptom severity and heart rate variability during a dark-enhanced startle (DES) task in 88 Black women with (n=30) and without HIV (n=58).Results HIV was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity only in women with low levels of childhood maltreatment (p=.024). Startle potentiation during DES was highest in women living without HIV and with high childhood maltreatment (p=.018). In women who had experienced low levels of childhood maltreatment, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was lower during the dark phase of DES in women living without HIV than women living with HIV (WLWH), (p=.046). RSA during the light phase of DES was lower in WLWH than in women living without HIV (p=.042).Conclusion In the current sample of Black women, HIV status was associated with PTSD symptom severity in a manner dependent on level of childhood maltreatment, suggesting that HIV status may be an important factor to consider for behavioral and pharmacological treatment strategies for PTSD. Additionally, HIV status is associated with lower percent potentiation to darkness and lower RSA during the light phase of DES, suggesting physiological mechanisms by which HIV may contribute to PTSD symptoms in individuals exposed to low levels of childhood maltreatment.
