Health related quality of life and psychosocial correlates among HIV-infected adolescent and young adult women in the US

AIDS Educ Prev. 2011 Aug;23(4):367-81. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2011.23.4.367.

Abstract

In this study HIV health-related quality of life (HIV-HRQOL) is examined among 179 behaviorally infected adolescent and young adult women. Modifiable psychosocial variables including depression, stigma, social support, and illness acceptance, and the biological end-points of CD4 cell count and viral load were explored in relation to HIV-HRQOL. The three factors of the HIV-HRQOL measure include current life satisfaction, illness related anxiety and illness burden. Bivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant associations for all psychosocial variables and HIV HRQOL factors (p < .01), but not for biological end-points. In multivariate linear regression analysis significant associations remained between: depression (p = .006), illness acceptance (p < .001), social support (p = .001), and current life satisfaction, and depression (p = .012), illness acceptance (p = .015), and illness burden. A trend in association was noted for HIV stigma, with current life satisfaction and illness related anxiety but did not reach statistical significance (p = .097 and p = .109 respectively). Interventions that effectively decrease stigma and depression and increase social support and illness acceptance will likely improve the well-being and quality of life of HIV-infected adolescent women.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological
  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Attitude to Health
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count / statistics & numerical data
  • Depression / psychology
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / physiopathology*
  • HIV Infections / psychology*
  • Health Status*
  • Humans
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Social Stigma
  • Social Support
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States
  • Viral Load / statistics & numerical data
  • Young Adult