Social Support and Psychosocial Health among HIV-Seropositive Individuals

Social Support and Psychosocial Health among HIV-Seropositive Individuals

Existing literature has documented a positive correlation between social support and adjustment to illness among HIV/AIDS. However, there is limited research focusing exclusively on the influence of family support on psychosocial health in this population. This study sought to examine the influence of family support on psychosocial health among substance users with HIV/AIDS. Thirty-one African- American HIV-positive substance users (M ± SD age = 41 ± 8; 55% women) were recruited from clinics. Demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral data were collected via face-to-face interviews. The independent variable was family support. The dependent variables were HIV/AIDS knowledge, HIV attitude, HIV related physical symptoms, body image, depression, adjustment to illness, quality of life, perceived overall health, and medication adherence. Sixty-one percent of the participants reported rec e iving fa mi ly s upport. T- test s re vea led s ignif ica nt d iffe re nces in HIV/AIDS knowledge (t = -2.27; p < 0.03), adjustment to HIV (t = -3.92; p < 0.01), perceived overall health (t = 2.06; p < 0.05) and a trend toward significance for HIV attitude (t = -1.779; p = 0.09). Participants who received family support scored better on HIV/AIDS knowledge (75% ± 15 vs. 63% ± 16), adjustment to illness (77.74 ± 11.05 vs. 58.75 ± 15.97), perceived overall health (3.05 ± .85 vs. 3.83 ± 1.27), and HIV attitude (32.63 ± 4.37 vs. 29.25 ± 6.22). Our current findings suggest family support is an important element in the psychological health of African-American substance users with HIV/AIDS. Psychosocial programs for this population may benefit from incorporating family support in interventions.