Relational contexts in adjustment to pregnancy of HIV-positive women: relationships, social support and personal adjustment

Previous literature suggests that AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) play an important support role in the lives of impoverished women living with HIV. Less is known about the dynamics of institutional support for middle-class women living with HIV/AIDS, who are assumed to possess a broader base of resources to address their diagnosis. Using qualitative data collected from a racially and economically diverse group of HIV-positive women in Chicago, this article compares how low-income and middle-class women utilize ASOs and reveals how the women’s divergent approaches to availing themselves of institutional resources have important implications for their social and economic coping. For example, associating with ASOs can be status-improving for impoverished women and status-diminishing for middle-class women. As a result, middle-class women report a less robust network of social service providers and people living with HIV/AIDS on whom they rely for HIV-related information and social support, making them vulnerable to HIV-specific social isolation. In sum, the ways that HIV-positive women deploy institutional ties to negotiate their HIV/AIDS status differs markedly depending on socioeconomic status, suggesting that the role of class in gathering social support may be more complex than previously understood.

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Social Support, Coping, and Medication Adherence Among HIV-Positive Women with Depression Living in Rural Areas of the Southeastern United States

AIDS Patient Care and STDs ◽

10.1089/apc.2006.0131 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 667-680 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Medha Vyavaharkar ◽

Linda Moneyham ◽

Abbas Tavakoli ◽

Kenneth D. Phillips ◽

Carolyn Murdaugh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Support ◽

Medication Adherence ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Southeastern United States ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Hiv Positive Women

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Prevalence of postnatal depression and associated factors among HIV-positive women in primary care in Nkangala district, South Africa

Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine ◽

10.4102/sajhivmed.v12i4.168 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 24 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

K Peltzer ◽

M E Shikwane

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

South Africa ◽

Primary Care ◽

Depressed Mood ◽

Postnatal Depression ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Hiv Positive Women ◽

Hiv Test ◽

Postnatal Women

Background. The prevalence of postpartum depression in South Africa is high, but there is lack of prevalence data on postnatal depression among HIV-infected women. Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressed mood and associated factors in postnatal HIV-positive women in primary care facilities in Nkangala district, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 607 HIV-positive postnatal women in 48 primary health care clinics and community health centres in Nkangala district. Postnatal women were recruited by systematic sampling (every consecutive patient over a period of 2 months). Demographic and other data were obtained from all the women who responded to a questionnaire in the local language on male involvement, HIV test disclosure, delivery and infant profile, infant HIV diagnosis, stigma, discrimination, postnatal depression, attendance of support groups and social support. Results. Overall, 45.1% of women reported a depressed mood in the postnatal period. Depressed mood in a multivariable analysis was significantly associated with internalised stigma (odds ratio (OR) 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05 - 1.19; p=0.000), discrimination experiences (OR 1.22, CI 1.03 - 1.46; p=0.023), lack of social support (OR 0.86, CI 0.74 - 0.99; p=0.037) and having had an STI in the past 12 months (OR 2.22, CI 1.21 - 4.04; p=0.010). There were no statistically significant correlations between the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores of the women and age, marital status, level of education, employment status and number of own children. Conclusion. Depressed mood is common among HIV-positive postpartum women. This is significantly associated with lack of social support, stigma and discrimination. Routine screening to identify those currently depressed or at risk of depression should be integrated into postnatal care settings to target those most needing intervention.

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