Psychological Well-Being Among Individuals Aging With HIV: The Value of Social Relationships

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 91 - 98
• Main Authors: Mavandadi, Shahrzad, Zanjani, Faika, Ten Have, Thomas R, Oslin, David W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 01-05-2009; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adaptations; Adult; Affect; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging - psychology; AIDS/HIV; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data processing; Depression - complications; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health services utilization; HIV; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infection; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Personal relationships; Philadelphia; Social environment; Social interactions; Social Support; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Virology; Young Adult; Philadelphia; Mood disorder; social support; Immunopathology; positive affect; Microbiology; Retroviridae; Depression; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; depressive symptoms; Virology; Infection; Virus; Viral disease; Human immunodeficiency virus; aging; HIV positive
• ISSN: 1525-4135; 1944-7884
• DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e318199069b

OBJECTIVE:Utilizing a heterogenous sample of adults diagnosed with HIV infection, the current study sought to explore associations among age, various dimensions of social support, and psychological and functional well-being.
METHODS:Cross-sectional data capturing subjective and instrumental support, social interaction, behavioral health service utilization, and psychological well-being (ie, positive affect and depressive symptomatology), and physical functioning, were collected from 109 men and women living with HIV. To explore age group differences, participants were stratified by age (<54 vs. 55+ years).
RESULTS:Despite endorsing greater medical comorbidity, older adults reported significantly lower depressive symptomatology and greater positive affect and were less likely to report seeing a behavioral health specialist than their younger counterparts. No age group differences emerged for instrumental support or amount of social interaction. However, older adults reported higher subjective support, which in turn was associated with lower depressive symptomatology, greater positive affect, and nonutilization of behavioral health services.
CONCLUSIONS:More attention should be paid to the social environment of individuals diagnosed with HIV as the quality of social relationships may be particularly important for successful psychological adaptation to HIV.