Family quality of life in families affected by HIV: the perspective of HIV-positive mothers

Challenges to the conceptualization and measurement of resilience in HIV research

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the conceptualization and measurement of resilience in HIV research. Terms related to resilience and HIV were searched in three databases to identify peer-reviewed research articles. Of the 156 articles identified, 49 were included in the analyses. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze the definitions and measurement of resilience. Articles were reviewed independently by two raters to establish inter-rater reliability. Six recurring themes were identified in the definitions of resilience: adaptation, positive mental health symptoms, the absence of negative mental health symptoms, hardiness, coping, and the ability to "bounce back". Among the articles examined, 14 measures were used to assess resilience, half of which were indirect. These findings help make sense of the available literature on resilience and highlight the importance of clearly operationalizing resilience and measuring it in a way that is congruent with its definition in future HIV research studies.

Missed opportunities for HIV prevention: Results of a qualitative study on mother-daughter communication

This qualitative study examines the role of communication among African American mothers living with HIV and their daughters in HIV prevention. Multiple themes emerged from our analysis of semistructured interviews with mothers (n = 15), and their adult daughters, (n = 15) such as perceptions of HIV risk communication, HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. The findings of the study revealed differences in communication between mothers and daughters. Daughters felt they did not receive adequate and frequent HIV prevention advice from their mothers. Implications include strengthening communication content between mother-daughter dyads in HIV prevention programs that can aid in reducing HIV risk.

Correlates of the Quality of life of Adolescents in families affected by HIV/AIDS in Benue State, Nigeria

It was estimated that over 260,000 children are living with HIV/AIDS while close to 2 million are directly or indirectly affected by the disease in Nigeria. Improvements in treatments for infected children have been documented in the literature but there is a gross knowledge gap on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the quality of life and psychosocial functioning (PSF) of affected children in Nigeria. We comparatively explored the association of quality of life with PSF and other factors among adolescents in families affected by HIV/AIDS (FAHA) and in families not affected by HIV/AIDS (FNAHA). Data was extracted for 960 adolescents from a State wide cross-sectional study in which participants were selected through multistage sampling techniques. Data was collected using questionnaires consisting of demographic information, adapted WHO-QOL BREF and the Strength & Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ). The quality of life scores were categorized into Poor, Moderate and High based on the amount of standard deviation away from the mean while the SDQ scores were categorized into normal, borderline and abnormal based on the SDQ scoring systems. Chi-square test and independent t-test were used for bivariate analyses while logistic regression was used for multivariate analyses at 5% level of significance. Proportion with poor quality of life (27.0%) was significantly higher among adolescents in FAHA than in FNAHA (p=0.0001). Adolescents in FAHA (OR:2.32; 95%CI:1.67-4.09) were twice more likely to have poor quality of life than those in FNAHA. In FAHA, adolescents on the borderline of PSF (OR:2.19; 95%CI:1.23-3.89) were twice more likely to have poor quality of life than those with normal PSF. Adolescents in FAHA have poorer quality of life than those in FNAHA and also face additional burdens of psychosocial dysfunctions. Interventions focusing on functional social support and economic empowerment will benefit adolescents in FAHA in the studied location.