Social Support and Maladaptive Coping as Predictors of the Change in Physical Health Symptoms among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

Abstract

This study examined social support and maladaptive coping as predictors of HIV-related health symptoms. Sixty-five men and women living with HIV/AIDS completed baseline measures assessing coping strategies, social support, and HIV-related health symptoms. The sample was primarily low-income and diverse with respect to gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Three, 6, and 12 months after completing baseline assessments, physical health symptoms associated with HIV disease were assessed. After controlling for demographic characteristics, CD4 T-cell count, and baseline HIV-related health symptoms, individuals reporting lower increase in HIV-related health symptoms used less venting (expressing emotional distress) as a strategy for coping with HIV. However, when satisfaction with social support was added to the model, the use of this coping strategy was no longer significant, and individuals reporting more satisfying social support were more likely to report lower increase in their HIV-related health symptoms, suggesting that social support is a robust predictor of health outcomes over time independent of coping style and baseline medical status. These findings provide further evidence that social support can buffer deleterious health outcomes among individuals with a chronic illness. Future research needs to examine mediating pathways that can explain this relationship.

Social support and posttraumatic growth in a longitudinal study of people living with HIV: the mediating role of positive affect

“…protects from depression and an improves social status (Lee, Detels, Rotheram-Borus, Duan, & Lord, 2007), but also impacts health outcomes, i.e. reduces HIV-related physical symptoms (Ashton, Vosvick, & Chesney, 2005). In addition, as noted earlier, the literature on PLWH has focused predominantly on the negative aspects of HIV/AIDS, so the knowledge about positive factors, including positive emotions among this patient group, is very scarce.…”

Heterogeneous response to HAART across a diverse population of people living with HIV: results from the ANRS-EN12-VESPA Study

“…Moreover, over half (53%) of the heterosexual migrants reported financial difficulties and 33% reported food privation through lack of money in the preceding month, compared to 21% and 7% of the other participants, respectively; social isolation, as defined by <1 weekly contact with family members/friends, concerned 20% of the heterosexual migrants versus 12% of the others (data available on request). Such adverse living conditions may have indirect effects on response to treatment through various pathways including poor adherence, high comorbidity (e.g., depression, tuberculosis, bacterial coinfections), inadequate healthcare, low social support, life event stress, or maladaptive coping [21,[28][29][30][31]. The low level of literacy of HIV-infected migrants [18] may further constitute a barrier to adequate access to care and HIV treatment adherence and knowledge, with consequences on health status [32,33].…”

Increased Cortisol Levels in Depression: A Comparative Study Evaluating the Correlation of Hypercortisolemia with Prosocial Coping Mechanisms

“…In a 12 months study, conducted on a number of 65 patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, the social support proved to be an important predictor of disease progression and the patients with a more satisfactory social support reported a smaller increase in physical symptoms related to HIV [34].…”