Psychological and Physiological Predictors of Adherence to Antiretroviral Medications for Women with HIV/AIDS.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: As the HIV/AIDS epidemic has entered the third decade, a gap remains regarding the uniqueness of women with disease. Although the course of HIV disease management has changed with the development of antiretroviral medications women were not initially in these medication trials. Therefore, much of what is known regarding women's adherence to these medications has been based upon research and clinical trials with HIV positive men. The purpose of this research was to examine selected psychological factors (depressive symptomatology, social support, and perceived stigma) and selected physiological factors (CD-4, viral load, HIV disease symptoms, and physical well-being) as predictors of self-reported adherence among women with HIV who were prescribed antiretroviral medications. In addition, this study examined the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationships between the selected psychological and physiological variables and self-reported adherence to antiretroviral medications. This convenience sample consisted of 44 HIV positive women. White subjects (55%) were women living in rural areas of eastern Ohio or western Pennsylvania. Approximately 80% of the women had a high school education or its equivalent; 30% of the women were married or in a significant relationship, 80% of the women reported their insurance as coming from public assistance, and most identified her disease exposure as being through heterosexual contact.Standard measures were used for data collection and a demographic measure. Within the larger study, a sample of ten women used the electronic event monitor (MEMS cap) for a period of 29 days. There were significant relationships between depressive symptomatology, perceived stigma, CD 4, HIV disease symptoms, and self-reported adherence. Self-efficacy beliefs had a mediating effect for depressive symptoms and CD 4 and self-reported adherence to antiretroviral medications. This study is one of the first to explore the relationship between perceived stigma and self-reported adherence to antiretroviral medications in women. For this study, one's self-efficacy beliefs mediated self-reported adherence to antiretroviral medications for women with depressive symptomatology.
Authors: Lehman Trzynka, Evelyn Sue
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W177802288