Examining The Interactive Effect Of Perceived Stigma, HIV Disclosure And Social Support On Long-Term HAART Adherence Among Recently-Sober HIV-Positive Women

Background : Women have historically been under-represented in HIV research, partly due to ineffective recruitment strategies. Objective : To improve the existing understanding of recruitment for HIV-positive women based on a province-wide cross-sectional study. Methods : A survey was emailed to all site coordinators who recruited participants in a study involving 490 HIV-positive women living in Ontario, Canada. The survey consisted of questions regarding the important recruitment barriers and successes. Quantitative data were then contextualized within extensive knowledge from research personnel and team members. Results : Completed surveys were received from (89%) site coordinators (34/38) and 98% (31/34) were women. The highest ranked recruitment barriers identified were: sensitivity of the research topic (59%), time/availability constraints (59%), language barriers (53%), HIV disclosure/stigma issues (47%), lack of trust of research personnel (41%), fear of research (41%) and inaccessibility to child care and transportation (41%). The respondents felt that the most important personal attributes for recruitment were research personnel who were respectful (97%), skilled (91%), flexible (88%) and empathetic (88%) and had good communication skills (88%). The most successful recruitment strategies identified were: developing a strong rapport (88%) that was facilitated by an empathetic relationship (100%), acknowledging the sensitive nature of the research topic (94%), providing cash financial compensation (88%), and developing recruitment strategies unique to women (88%). Conclusion : There are differences in the approaches needed for the recruitment of HIV-positive women in research. For successful recruitment of HIV-positive women, a strong rapport between the research personnel and study participants is important. This rapport is facilitated by having study personnel who are respectful, trustworthy, empathetic, and flexible. Population-specific recruitment strategies are important to ensure adequate recruitment of minority groups in research with greater gender consideration for women requiring specific attention.

Download Full-text

The Micro Dynamics of Support Seeking

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ◽

10.1177/0002716213475775 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 647 (1) ◽

pp. 83-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Celeste Watkins-Hayes

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Middle Class ◽

Low Income ◽

Service Providers ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Women Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Positive Women ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Aids

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.

Download Full-text

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

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text