Self-Care Behaviors and Activities for Managing HIV-Related Anxiety

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify the baseline prevalence and effectiveness of anxiety self-management strategies in a convenience sample of persons living with HIV (PLWH; n = 343) in the United States, Puerto Rico, Kenya, and South Africa who reported HIV-related anxiety symptoms. Relationships between demographics and anxiety characteristics were determined, as was the effectiveness of self-care activities/behaviors to reduce anxiety. We found that the use of anxiety self-management strategies varied by gender and that ratings of effectiveness varied by country. Highest anxiety intensity scores were found in participants who were taking antiretroviral medications and who had undetectable viral loads. Forty-five percent of the persons with a diagnosis of AIDS reported anxiety symptoms. As HIV increases in areas of the world where self-care is the primary approach to managing HIV, additional research will be needed to address the effectiveness of cross-cultural differences in strategies for self-managing HIV-related anxiety.

Fatigue Symptom Management in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus

“…anxiety and stress). 17,30 In addition to inability to sleep, the aforementioned factors can diminish the quality of sleep resulting experiences of physical and mental fatigue, depression, and excessive daytime sleepiness. 5,28,29 Finally, PLWH may turn to the use of substances or caffeine intake to help them sleep or to cope with fatigue or psychological symptoms, 2 but studies have found that such actions often exacerbate sleep disturbances thus perpetuating fatigue rather than eliminating it.…”

Anxiety Symptoms in HIV-Infected Individuals

“…Reported rates of anxiety symptoms that do not necessarily meet criteria for an anxiety disorder in PLWH are also striking. Forty-four percent of the 1,886 participants with self-reported HIV disease in an international multi-site study conducted by the International Nursing Network for HIV Research indicated that they had experienced anxiety symptoms (Kemppainen et al, 2012). Anxiety disorders have been reported to be highest among groups with the highest HIV prevalence rates, including women of color and men who have sex with men (O'Cleirigh et al, 2009).…”

“…Screening for a previous psychiatric history, including a diagnosis of anxiety or depression, and exposure to domestic violence, abuse, or other traumatic events is also important (Basu et al, 2005). Because selfmanagement practices also play a critical role in determining health-related outcomes in HIV disease, providers should assess the use and effectiveness of any strategies used to self-manage anxiety symptoms (Kemppainen et al, 2012).…”

“…Based on the evidence presented by Kemppainen and colleagues (2012), providers may educate patients about the use of self-management strategies as a complement to more traditional treatments. Traditional measures (anti-anxiety medications, supportive psychological counseling, and referrals to mental health professionals) need to be offered for intense, disabling anxiety symptoms (Kemppainen et al, 2012).…”

A Self-Management Framework to Assess the Need for Nutritional Supplementation in People Living with HIV/AIDS

“…Moreover, building social relationships is a strategy that people living with this disease undertake to manage their mental health issues [7]. Kemppainen et al [55], in a sample of 259 people with HIV, found that talking with family and friends was the most frequently (57%) cited strategy used to manage HIV-related anxiety.…”