Cross-cultural integration affects attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS in Australia

Social and demographical determinants of quality of life in people who live with HIV/AIDS infection: evidence from a meta-analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis is to summarize the available evidence on the social and demographic determinants of health-related quality of life (QoL) for HIV-infected populations in order to provide a direction to policy makers, planners, and program developers on how best to use their resources to improve the QoL of HIV-infected people.PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases were searched (up to February 2017) to identify the relevant studies. A meta-analysis was conducted with procreate polled odds ratios (ORs and β) and the confidence intervals of 95% on determining factors of QoL in social and demographic terms. Random effect model was applied to calculate pooled estimation, due to varied sampling methods of researches.In total, 5607 papers were identified from 4 databases and additional search in reference lists. Of these, 2107 articles were selected for full-text review. We included 19 studies that met the eligibility criteria. The pooled effect size shows a relative positive impact of social support for QoL among HIV/AIDS patients and its lower boundary is about 0.61 and the higher about 1.49. The pooled effect size has a considerable negative impact stigma on people who live with HIV/AIDS (PWLHs') QoL ranges from -0.34 to -0.32. Low socioeconomic status (poverty situation) was found to have a degenerative impact with PWLHs' QoL. Our finding indicates an association between younger 35 and QoL is negative with a relatively wide range, the minimum level of education has a weak association with PWLHs' QoL (ES: 0.14-0.2).There are several sociodemographic determinants of QoL among PWLHs and in this study, we found that stigma, low level of socioeconomic status, and being younger than 35 years old have a negative association with QoL, while the social support showed a positive association and a minimum level of education did not show a rigorous negative or positive association.

A systematic review of interventions for supporting partners of military Veterans with PTSD

Introduction: Partners of military Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health difficulties can themselves develop difficulties with stress, well-being, and secondary trauma. Various interventions exist which involve partners of military personnel, but very few with an explicit focus on the partners’ well-being. This article aims to conduct a systematic review of these interventions and outline the range of interventions and the outcomes measured. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search, from which 25 papers were reviewed. Papers were included if they described any form of intervention in which a partner was involved, where the Veteran was described as having PTSD, and where the aim of the intervention was aimed at least partly at improving the well-being of partners. Results: We found various types of interventions, such as group-based interventions, residential retreats, couples therapies, Internet-based interventions, and family-based interventions. Of the 25 studies reviewed, 21 reported on well-being outcomes, either via randomized controlled trials (RCTs), evaluations, or case studies. In most cases, interventions reported improvements in the well-being of partners, although there were very few controlled studies. Only a small number of interventions were aimed solely at partners. The most common feature of interventions was psychoeducation on topics such as communication, problem solving, and emotion regulation. Many papers described the advantages of group processes such as social support and normalization, gained from partners sharing experiences with one another. Discussion: A wide range of formats exist of interventions for improving the well-being of military partners. The literature would benefit from more robust experimental research into their effectiveness, and exploration of interventions aimed directly at the well-being of partners.

The effect of peer support groups on family adaptation from the perspective of wives of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of peer group support on family adaptation of wives of war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

In this randomized controlled trial, 80 wives of war veterans with PTSD were incorporated, and selected participants were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups (n = 40 per group). The intervention group was divided into four subgroups, with each participating in eight weekly based 1.5-hr peer support group sessions and the control group received no intervention.

MEASURES

Demographics form and Family Adaptation Scale (FAS) developed by Antonovsky and Sourani (1988) were applied.

RESULTS

The total mean scores of family adaptation increased significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group (p = .033). Furthermore, the time × group interaction effects were significant for internal family fit (p = .013) and a combination of both family fit and family community fit (p = .020) dimensions. Nonetheless family fit dimensions mean scores had no significant increase in the intervention group than the control group over time (p = .948).

CONCLUSIONS

Peer support group can be a useful tool for health care professionals to enhance family adaptation in spouses of war veterans with PTSD.