Social support and the effect it has on HIV positive patients at OAHCC
Diamond Boyd1, Talya Straughter2
1Mississippi INBRE Service Scholar, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
2Open Arms Healthcare Center, Jackson, MS
Social support, as well as social services, both are imperative to the well-being of HIV-positive individuals and is also impacted by the individual’s demographics. The purpose of this research is to analyze the relationship of social support with self-management and quality of life among people living with HIV; examining those who have fallen out of care versus those who have remained in care. This research examined nine case studies that covered the impact and importance of social support along with how demographics affect people diagnosed with HIV. We also pulled data from the Careware system from January 2017 to December 2018, containing overall demographic information of HIV-positive patients in care at Open Arms Health Care Center. Preliminary findings suggest that social support is positively correlated with a better quality of life among people living with HIV. They also show that there is no correlation between social support and people who have better self-management and viral load suppression versus those who do not. Further research should compare patients with a lower viral load in comparison to those who do not to determine if the results are in fact valid. There should also be more programs implemented to further support those people living with HIV.
Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Mississippi INBRE, funded by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103476.