Illness‐Related Support and Negative Network Interactions: Effects on HIV‐Infected Men's Depressive Symptomatology

Data collected as part of a psychosocial study of gay and bisexual men's experiences of living with HIV infection as a chronic illness were examined to investigate the psychological impact of the perceived availability of illness‐related support and negative illness‐related network interactions in a sample of men from this population. The sample was comprised of 144 HIV‐infected non‐Hispanic white, African American, and Puerto Rican men living in the New York City metropolitan area. Analyses found evidence of a conjoint (interactive) effect between perceived support and negative network interactions. There was no evidence of either perceived availability of illness‐related network support buffering or negative illness‐related network interactions amplifying the effect of HIV/AIDS‐related physical symptomatology on depressive symptomatology.