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

Abstract

This study investigated the level of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and its association with the level of social support, stress coping strategies and resilience among a people living with HIV (PLWH) in a 1 year longitudinal study. We also controlled for age, HIV infection duration and the presence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). From the 290 participants, initially eligible for the study, 110 patients were recruited for the first assessment and 73 patients participated in a follow-up assessment. Participants filled out following psychometric tools: the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), the Mini-COPE Inventory, the Resiliency Assessment Scale (SPP-25) and the PTSD-F questionnaire. Received support and resilience were positively, whereas return to religion as coping strategy was negatively related to the PTG. Clinicians and researchers need to focus on potentially positive consequences of HIV infection, i.e. PTG, and factors that might promote it among PLWH.

Social support and posttraumatic growth in a longitudinal study of people living with HIV: the mediating role of positive affect

“…This result may indicate an important mechanism linking social support to PTG in the aftermath of life threatening illness, especially that the nature and direction of this relationship is ambiguous (e.g. Cieslak et al, 2009; Rzeszutek et al, 2017; Sheikh, 2004). As noted earlier in Tedeschi and Callhoun’s (2004) model, social support facilitates PTG by mobilizing cognitive processing after trauma; it also stimulates meaning searching after trauma.…”

“…The prevalence of HIV-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people living with HIV (PLWH), which stems from receiving a diagnosis of potentially lethal virus in the body and related perceived threat to life, ranges between 30 and 64% (Olley, Zeier, Seedat, & Stein, 2005; Sherr et al, 2011). Nevertheless, some studies also found positive changes following the diagnosis of HIV infection, which comprise the aforementioned dimensions of PTG (Milam, 2004, 2006; Murphy & Hevey, 2013; Rzeszutek, Oniszczenko, & Firląg-Burkacka, 2017; Siegel, Schrimshaw, & Pretter, 2005). For example, Milam (2004) noted that 59% of PLWH experienced some aspects of PTG following their HIV diagnosis, and that those positive changes were negatively associated with the level of depression as well as an improved viral load in this patient group.…”

“…Conversely, the link between social support and PTG was not found among cardiac patients (Sheikh, 2004) and other studies conducted on cancer patients (Sears, Stanton, & Danoff-Burg, 2003). Regarding PLWH, Siegel et al (2005) observed a positive association between emotional support and PTG among HIV-infected women, while Rzeszutek et al (2017) observed a direct positive effect of received support on PTG in a longitudinal study. In contrast, Cieslak et al (2009), in a study of PLWH who survived Hurricane Katrina, found that received support did not predict the total PTG level and that it was positively related only to one PTG dimension, namely, relating to others.…”

Satisfaction with Life, Big-Five Personality Traits and Posttraumatic Growth Among People Living with HIV

“…HIV-related PTSD symptoms stem mostly from an awareness of a risk of premature death, but they also result from the unpredictable course of HIV progression, side effects of treatment and social stigmatization (Breet et al 2014;Sanjuán et al 2013). Nevertheless, positive changes were also observed among PLWH, comprising the phenomenon of PTG, and these changes may entail important clinical as well as psychological advantages (Milam 2004(Milam , 2006Murphy and Hevey 2013;Rzeszutek et al 2017). Particularly, PTG among PLWH individuals predicted improvement in clinical variables (CD4 count and viral load ;Milam 2006) and was associated with lower perceived social stigmatization (Murphy and Hevey 2013).…”

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Social Isolation among North Korean Refugee Women in South Korea: The Moderating Role of Formal and Informal Support

“…Typically, social support not only alleviates stress but also improves the individual's coping ability [59] and provides psychological compensation for social conflicts or lack of relationships [60]. Neurobiological factors corroborate these results.…”