This study considers whether the personal networks of older South African people living with HIV (PLHIV) differ from those without HIV. Using recent survey data (N = 5059), results suggest that PLHIV reported more core network members than their peers without HIV (IRR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03, 1.13), but were equally likely to receive emotional support from network members (1.21; 95% CI 0.93, 1.58). PLHIV who had yet to disclose their serostatus were more likely than others to have friends and other non-kin in their core network (B 0.08; 95% CI 0.02, 0.13) and to maintain networks of non-overlapping members (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.33, 3.34). Even as HIV remains highly stigmatized in South Africa, PLHIV tend to maintain relatively large and supportive networks. Still, a sizeable proportion of PLHIV do not disclose their illness-these individuals disproportionately inhabit networks marked by non-kin and by high bridging potential.
HIV/AIDS has had a substantial social and economic impact on Sub-Saharan Africa, and research is only beginning to examine the prevalence and consequences of HIV infection among older adults in this region. Though informal social networks provide crucial resources for older people managing health problems, little is known about how the form and function of such networks differs by HIV status. Drawing from theories of health stigma and network mobilization, we use egocentric network data from HAALSI, the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (N=5,059). HAALSI is a community-based study centered in Agincourt, South Africa, and focuses on adults ≥40 years of age. Approximately 12% of this sample is HIV positive. Results of multivariable logistic and Poisson regression reveal three main findings. First, relative to those without HIV, infected older adults have larger personal networks—including more kin and more non-kin network members. Second, HIV status has no discernible impact on whether people receive regular emotional support from those in their networks. Third, older adults who have disclosed their HIV status have a relatively high proportion of kin members in the close networks relative to those not infected with HIV and to those with HIV who have not disclosed their disease. Our findings point to the need for further research on the implications of social networks for outcomes such as well-being and health care delivery among older AIDS patients in the Global South.
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