Utilization of Ryan White-funded mental health services and mental health functioning among people living with HIV in New York City

ABSTRACT Few studies have examined the relationship between mental health service utilization and health/mental health outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH). Such studies are needed to inform the delivery of mental health services for this population, particularly in identifying treatment dosages that will result in clinically significant improvements. We examined the association between mental health service utilization and mental health functioning among 429 PLWH in New York City. Of these, 40% (n = 170) demonstrated an improvement in mental health functioning (≥3.5 point increase on the Mental Component Summary score on the SF-12) from program intake to the follow-up assessment. In a multivariable analysis, higher proportions of individuals with medium (38%) and high (37%) mental health service utilization levels experienced an improvement in mental health functioning, compared to those with low utilization levels (25%). Future analyses should include additional follow-up periods to assess service utilization patterns over time and their association with mental health functioning.