Depression and aging with HIV: Associations with health-related quality of life and positive psychological factors

•Persons living with HIV (PLWH) are significantly more likely to report elevated depressive symptoms compared to persons without HIV.•PLWH with elevated depressive symptoms report lower health-related quality of life compared to PLWH without elevated depressive symptoms.•PLWH without elevated depressive symptoms report similar health-related quality of life and positive psychological factors compared to HIV- individuals without elevated depressive symptoms.•Older PLWH without depression (aged 56–65) reported aging most successfully compared to all other HIV/depression status groups. Depression is prevalent among persons living with HIV (PLWH). This study investigated the relationships between depressive symptomatology, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and positive psychological factors in PLWH and age-matched HIV−individuals. One hundred twenty-two PLWH and 94 HIV− individuals, recruited in three age cohorts (36–45, 46–55, 56–65 years old), completed self-report questionnaires on depressive symptoms (CES-D), HRQoL, and positive psychological factors (resilience, grit, and self-rated successful aging [SRSA]). Participants were classified based on HIV status (H+ vs H−) and elevated depressive symptoms (D+ vs D−) into four groups (H+/D+; H−/D+; H+/D−; H−/D−). Fifty-eight percent of PLWH had elevated depressive scores, compared to 33% of HIV- individuals (p