The relationship between symptoms of common mental disorders and drug and alcohol misuse among persons seeking an HIV test.

We studied 500 South Africans who sought an HIV test in a community outreach setting. On average, both men and women in the sample indicated hazardous and harmful alcohol use, as well as possible alcohol dependence. Men but not women among the sample experienced drug-related problems. Men were 1.64 times more likely than females to report problematic alcohol use and 4.88 times more likely than females to report drug use. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression significantly explained 16.5% of the variance in alcohol misuse. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress significantly explained 23.5% of the variance in drug use. Implications are explored in the context of HIV testing.