The impact of social capital and mental health on medication adherence among older people living with HIV (PLWH)

Background The number of older people living with HIV (PLWH) is increasing. Although there are many studies affecting medication adherence, research on the impact of social capital and mental health on medication adherence in this particular population is limited. Method Data were collected from an ongoing observational prospective cohort study, starting from November 2018, among older PLWH in Sichuan province, China. Five hundred twenty-one participants were interviewed. Social capital consists of the individual and family (IF) scale, and the community and society (CS) scale. The presence of probable depression and probable anxiety were assessed using the CES-D-10 and GAD-7 scales. Adherence was defined as taking ≥80% of prescribed HIV medication in 4 days prior to the interview. Two sets of Firth’ penalized regression analyses were used to estimate the association between social capital, mental health, and medication adherence. Results The prevalence of non-adherence was 18.2% (95/521) among older PLWH in this study. After adjusting for significant factors, the CS social capital (OR: 0.92, 95%CI:0.85–0.99, p < 0.05) and probable anxiety (OR:1.73, 95%CI:1.07–2.80, p < 0.05) were associated with non-adherence. Conclusion This study highlighted that the effects of social capital and mental health on older PLWH’s adherence, which implied that the need to develop interventions to concern for mental health and enhance CS social capital to help the older PLWH better manage HIV medication adherence.

Living With HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts for Older Adults in Palm Springs, California

We conducted surveys in March 2020 with 100 older adults living in Palm Springs, CA, to (1) report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their day-to-day well-being and (2) describe the factors related to missing HIV medication during the pandemic. Respondent's mean age was 64.2 and the majority identified as White, men, and gay. The majority stated that the pandemic had impacted their lives “much,” “very much,” or “extremely.” One-third experienced financial challenges and 46.0% experienced disruptions to health care. Almost a quarter (24.0%) reported missing a dose of their HIV medication during the pandemic. Compared to those ages 64+, younger respondents were more likely to report some negative impacts like changes in sleep patterns, financial challenges, and missed HIV medication doses, and had higher PTSD severity scores. In adjusted logistic regression, higher PTSD severity scores and disruption to health care were associated with missed doses of medications (ps < .05).

The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Stress, Health, Relationships, and Medications for Older Adults Living with HIV in Palm Springs

Cross-sectional, internet-based surveys were conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily stress for older adults living with HIV in Palm Springs, CA (N=100). Participants’ mean age was 64.2, most were non-Hispanic white (88.0%), men (96.0%) and identified as gay or lesbian (93.0%). Respondents reported high compliance with physical distancing (96.0%) and mask wearing (98.0%). One-third of respondents experienced financial challenges. A quarter (24.0%) skipped a dose of their HIV medication during COVID-19 and many experienced disruptions to their healthcare (46.0%). Decreases in the quality of relationships with friends was reported by 40.7% of respondents. DSM criteria for PTSD was met by 22.0%. Younger (ages 51-63) respondents were significantly more likely to report financial challenges, miss HIV medication doses, and have higher PTSD severity scores. In an adjusted logistic regression, higher PTSD severity scores and disruption to healthcare were associated with missing doses (p’s &lt;.05).