HIV+ caregivers and HIV+ non-caregivers: differences in sociodemographics, immune functioning, and quality-of-life

Spousal role and caregiver burden in HIV affected families in Anhui Province, China

This study examined the burden experienced by various roles of family caregivers of people living with HIV (PLH), in particular spouses vs. non-spouses. A total of 475 family members of PLH were recruited from Anhui Province, China. Participants responded to a survey using the Computer Assisted Personal Interview method. The assessment collected data on demographic characteristics and their perceived caregiver burden, which was compared between spouses and non-spouses. Multiple regression models were built to identify factors associated with caregiver burden. About 64.4% of our study participants were female and the mean age was 42.1 years. Among various relationships to PLH, almost half reported being a spouse. Spouses reported significantly higher caregiver burden than non-spouses. In addition, older age and lower family income were significantly associated with higher level of caregiver burden. Among the subsample of spouses, significantly higher level of caregiver burden was identified among wives. Future studies should give special consideration to address the needs of female spouses in order to reduce their caregiver burden.

Psychometric evaluation of the HIV symptom distress scale

The objective of this article is to psychometrically validate the HIV symptom distress scale (SDS), an instrument that can be used to measure overall HIV symptom distress or clinically relevant groups of HIV symptoms. A secondary data analysis was conducted using the Collaborations in HIV Outcomes Research US Cohort (CHORUS). Inclusion criteria required study participants (N=5521) to have a valid baseline measure of the AIDS Clinical Trial Group Symptom Distress Module, with an SF-12 or SF-36 completed on the same day. Psychometric testing assessed unidimensionality, internal consistency, and factor structure using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Construct validity examined whether the new measure discriminates across clinical significance (CD4 and HIV viral load). Findings show that the SDS has high reliability (α=0.92), and SEM supports a correlated second-order factor model (physical and mental distress) with acceptable fit (GFI=0.88, AGFI=0.85, NFI=0.99, NNFI=0.99; RMSEA=0.06, [90% CI 0.06 - 0.06]; Satorra Bentler scaled, C (2) =3274.20; p=0.0). Construct validity shows significant differences across categories for HIV-1 viral load (p<0.001) and CD4 (p<0.001). Differences in mean SDS scores exist across gender (p<0.001), race/ethnicity (p<0.05), and educational attainment (p<0.001). Hence, the HIV SDS is a reliable and valid instrument, which measures overall HIV symptoms or clinically relevant groups of symptoms.