Relationship between social support and psychological symptoms in people living with HIV/Aids, at risk of developing HIV – associated dementia

People living with HIV/AIDS often present neuropsychiatric symptoms, including cognitive and mood-related manifestations. Social support helps to cope with adverse events related to mental health. We aimed to analyze the relationship between satisfaction with social support and psychological symptoms in people living with HIV/AIDS at risk of developing HIV-associated dementia. An observational, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted. Assessment instruments included: sociodemographic questionnaire; Social Support Scale for People Living with HIV [Seidl & Tróccoli, 2006. Development of a scale for the social support evaluation in HIV/AIDS. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 22(3), 317–326.], Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) [Canavarro, 1999. Psychopathological Symptom Inventory – BSI. In M. G. M. R. Simões, & L. S. Almeida (Eds.), Psychological tests and tests in Portugal (Vol. II, pp. 87–109). SHO/APPORT.]; and International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS). The sample consisted of 255 participants with a mean age of 48.16 years, 80.8% male, 68.6% living mostly with someone else. The strongest correlation was between the perception of availability of emotional support and availability of instrumental support, r (255) = 0.992; p < 0.001. Individuals with higher satisfaction with perceived emotional support had fewer psychological symptoms. Those with a higher Global Severity Index score on the BSI had a higher risk of dementia. An association was found between symptoms of psychological distress and a higher likelihood of developing HIV-related dementia. To reduce the risk of HIV-associated dementia, it is imperative to improve social support networks, which can serve as a vital clinical strategy

Dementia · Disease · Psychiatry · Social support · Clinical Psychology · HIV Research and Treatment · HIV-related health complications and treatments · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology · Immunology · Internal Medicine

• Mental work demands, retirement, and longitudinal trajectories of cognitive functioning.

  Gwenith G Fisher, Alicia Stachowski et al.•Journal of Occupational Health…•2014

  Incluir item

• Mental health and HIV/Aids

  Open Access•Robert H Remien, Michael J Stirratt et al.•AIDS•2019

  Incluir item

• The Contribution of the Social Environment to Host Resistance1

  John C Cassel, John Cassel•American Journal of Epidemiology•1976

  Incluir item

• Associations between loneliness and perceived social support and outcomes of mental health problems

  Open Access•Jingyi Wang, Farhana Mann et al.•BMC Psychiatry•2018

  Incluir item

• The Brief Symptom Inventory

  Open Access•Leonard R DeRogatis, Nick Melisaratos•Psychological Medicine•1983

  Incluir item

• Determinants of social support among people living with HIV in Nigeria–a multicenter cross-sectional study

  Open Access•Oluwatobi Emmanuel Babalola, Oluwaseun Abdulganiyu Badru et al.•Frontiers in Public Health•2023

  Incluir item

• Are social support and HIV coping strategies associated with lower depression in adults on antiretroviral treatment? Evidence from rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

  Francis Yeji, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch et al.•AIDS Care•2014

  Incluir item

• Association between coping strategies, social support, and depression and anxiety symptoms among rural Ugandan women living with HIV/Aids

  Victoria Seffren, Itziar Familiar et al.•AIDS Care•2018

  Incluir item

• The Interaction of HIV With Mental Health in the Modern Antiretroviral Therapy Era

  Open Access•Adam W Carrico, Leah H Rubin et al.•Psychosomatic Medicine•2022

  Incluir item

• Depression among Patients with HIV/Aids

  Open Access•Bach Xuan Tran, Roger C M Ho et al.•International Journal of…•2019

  Incluir item

• Depressive symptoms among older adults with HIV in Namibia

  Eveline Ndinelao Kalomo, Jung Sim Jun et al.•African Journal of AIDS Research•2021

  Incluir item

• Social support status and associated factors among people living with HIV/Aids in Kunming city, China

  Open Access•Yi Li, Xiao-Wen Zhang et al.•BMC Public Health•2021

  Incluir item

• Development of the Scale of Perceived Social Support in HIV (PSS-HIV)

  Open Access•Aarón Cortés, Nigel Hunt et al.•AIDS and Behavior•2014

  Incluir item

• Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Treatment Utilization, and Associated HIV Outcomes among Adults with HIV in Rural Florida

  Open Access•Preeti Manavalan, Yancheng Li et al.•AIDS and Behavior•2023

  Incluir item

• The Patient Generated Index (PGI) as an early-warning system for predicting brain health challenges

  Open Access•Muhammad Humayun, Marie-Josée Brouillette et al.•Quality of Life Research•2023

  Incluir item

• Description and Validation of a Measure of Received Support Specific to HIV

  Open Access•Rebecca Renwick, Tracy Halpen et al.•Psychological Reports•1999

  Incluir item

• An Epidemic in Evolution

  Open Access•Carolyn Chu, Peter A Selwyn•Journal of Urban Health•2011

  Incluir item

• Relação entre sintomatologia psicopatológica, adesão ao tratamento e qualidade de vida na infecção HIV e Aids

  Open Access•Ana Catarina Reis, Leonor Lencastre et al.•Psicologia Reflexão e Crítica•2010

  Incluir item

• Chronic Disease Self-Management by People With HIV

  Open Access•Karalyn Mcdonald, Sean Slavin et al.•Qualitative Health Research•2016

  Incluir item