Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Loneliness and social support are important psychosocial correlates of depressive symptoms among people living with HIV, but their interrelationships remain insufficiently understood. This cross-sectional study examined associations among loneliness, social support, and depressive symptoms in 436 men living with HIV who acquired infection through sexual transmission. Participants completed an online questionnaire including sociodemographic information, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Correlation, multivariable logistic regression, and bootstrap mediation analyses were performed. Loneliness was positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas social support was inversely associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms. In adjusted logistic regression, high loneliness was associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms, while higher total social support, subjective support, and support utilization were associated with lower odds. Mediation analysis showed that social support partially mediated the association between loneliness and depressive symptoms, accounting for 21.3% of the total effect. These findings suggest that interventions addressing both loneliness and social support may help improve mental health outcomes in this population.</p>