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Volume 18
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10.3390/v18010119
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Article

Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study

by
Katherine M. Anderson
1,2,
Eleanor Capozzi
3,
Stephanie A. Meyers-Pantele
2,
Maile Y. Karris
2,
Fernando Cabezas Mejia
3,
Ella Meyer
3,
Melodie A. Nasr
3,
Mimi Ghosh
3,* and
Jamila K. Stockman
2
1
Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
2
Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
3
Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Viruses 2026, 18(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010119 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 November 2025 / Revised: 9 January 2026 / Accepted: 12 January 2026 / Published: 15 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viruses in the Reproductive Tract)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Sexual violence against women is a global issue with profound health consequences, including elevated HIV risk due to genital tract inflammation and injury. However, limited research has examined the influence of mental health on HIV-related immunity after violence. We analyzed longitudinal data from female survivors of past-month rape (N = 25) to explore associations between mental health (perceived stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and resilience) and HIV-associated immune biomarkers in the female genital tract. In bivariate analyses, mental health improved over the three-month follow-up period. Immune biomarker levels remained largely stable, except for TNF-α and SLPI. At baseline, depression was significantly correlated with TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. In regression analyses, depression was associated with TNF-α (β = −0.133 to −0.152) and IL-6 (β = −0.171 to −0.207). PTSD was significantly associated with IL-1α (β = 0.576 to 1.681). Depression and resilience were negatively associated with percent HIV inhibition in adjusted models. These findings suggest that depression and PTSD are associated with genital tract inflammation following sexual violence, which may compromise mucosal immunity and enhance HIV risk. This highlights the importance of integrated mental health and immunological care for survivors and the need for further research into psychoneuroimmune pathways influencing HIV risk after trauma.
Keywords: sexual violence; HIV prevention; mucosal immunity; cisgender women; rape; inflammation; mental health sexual violence; HIV prevention; mucosal immunity; cisgender women; rape; inflammation; mental health

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MDPI and ACS Style

Anderson, K.M.; Capozzi, E.; Meyers-Pantele, S.A.; Karris, M.Y.; Cabezas Mejia, F.; Meyer, E.; Nasr, M.A.; Ghosh, M.; Stockman, J.K. Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study. Viruses 2026, 18, 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010119

AMA Style

Anderson KM, Capozzi E, Meyers-Pantele SA, Karris MY, Cabezas Mejia F, Meyer E, Nasr MA, Ghosh M, Stockman JK. Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study. Viruses. 2026; 18(1):119. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010119

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anderson, Katherine M., Eleanor Capozzi, Stephanie A. Meyers-Pantele, Maile Y. Karris, Fernando Cabezas Mejia, Ella Meyer, Melodie A. Nasr, Mimi Ghosh, and Jamila K. Stockman. 2026. "Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study" Viruses 18, no. 1: 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010119

APA Style

Anderson, K. M., Capozzi, E., Meyers-Pantele, S. A., Karris, M. Y., Cabezas Mejia, F., Meyer, E., Nasr, M. A., Ghosh, M., & Stockman, J. K. (2026). Mental Health, Mucosal Immunity, and HIV Susceptibility Following Sexual Violence: Evidence from the THRIVE Study. Viruses, 18(1), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010119

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