Gender, Drug Use, and Perceived Social Support Among HIV Positive Patients

Abstract

We investigated the relationships among gender, drug use, and perceived social support in 176 HIV positive patients recruited with their informal caregivers in HIV clinics. Perceived caregiver support, emotional support, tangible support, and conflict were assessed. Current drug use was defined as heroin and/or cocaine use within 6 months prior to baseline. Gender was not significantly associated with any of the four outcomes. Current drug users reported significantly higher conflict in social relationships than nonusers, but was not significantly associated with the other three outcomes. However, significant heroin/cocaine use by gender interactions were observed; specifically, the negative associations between current drug use and perceived caregiver and emotional support were stronger among females than males. We concluded that recent heroin/cocaine use may be associated with dissatisfaction in perceived social support from most sources, with the strongest relationships amongst drug using females.

Social support, stress coping strategies, resilience and posttraumatic growth in a Polish sample of HIV-infected individuals: results of a 1 year longitudinal study

“…In particular, Peterson et al ( 2011 ) observed that social support may enhance various stress coping strategies, thus improving well-being among PLWH. Specifically, perceived support led to a lower level of substance use among participants, which corresponds with the findings of Rothman et al ( 2008 ), who observed that drug use were related to dissatisfaction in perceived social support among PLWH.…”

Social Support, Attachment, and Chronic Stress as Correlates of Latina Mother and Daughter Drug Use Behaviors

“…Our preliminary findings are consistent with other studies 26,29 and those which show that the availability of social support systems increases the likelihood of practicing protective health behaviors including reduced or nondrug use 2,42 . For example, greater social support predicted better mental health status and less heroin and cocaine use among individuals with co‐occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders 42 .…”

“…Furthermore, high levels of social support were shown to be inversely related to psychological distress among college students: its effects on distress were mediated by attachment 28 . Among adolescents, the relationship between stressful life events and drug use is moderated by the level of social support they receive from family and friends 29 . Hence, it is not surprising that both high levels of social support and good quality of attachment relationships are inversely associated with the lifetime use of illicit substances 26 .…”

“…In addition to the quality of mother–daughter attachment as a protective mechanism against social determinant liabilities, positive social support has been repeatedly shown to attenuate the adverse effects of chronic stress on substance use behaviors 1,2 . For example, recent studies demonstrated that positive social support enhanced feelings of well‐being among Latinos 11,28 and reduced drug use behaviors during adolescence and early adulthood 29 . Furthermore, high levels of social support were shown to be inversely related to psychological distress among college students: its effects on distress were mediated by attachment 28 .…”

Patients' Perspectives on Informal Caregiver Involvement in HIV Health Care Appointments

“…The benefits of positive sources of social support on emotional well-being and risk-avoidant and medicationtaking behaviors among those with HIV are clear. [42][43][44][45][46] More research is needed to investigate ways in which other family members and friends play supportive roles, as well as the way in which health care professionals can facilitate the development of supportive networks for those with HIV in order to improve health care experiences and treatment outcomes.…”