Religious and Psychosocial Covariates of Health-Related Quality of Life in People Living with HIV/AIDS
People Living With HIV/AIDS often report poorer Health-Related Quality
of Life than that of the general population,1 especially after the diagnosis of HIV.
This may be related to the psychological and physiological demands of HIV disease, social
stressors, or demographic factors. Religion and spirituality are important social determinants
of health and public health,3 especially in the context of HIV/AIDS4 and may be used
by PLWH to cope and improve their HRQoL.
Religion and spirituality serve as central guiding forces in the daily life of many people,
including People Living With HIV/ADS. Growing evidence supports an
association between spirituality or religiousness and, both, better health
and better quality of life.2,5,6,8,17-22 Mueller et al.
review found that most studies identified significant associations
between spirituality/religiousness and better health outcomes,
including better coping skills and better health-related quality of life.
The association between spirituality or religiousness and health outcomes may be explained
by a number of variables, including coping style, psychological factors, and social support.
However, more research in this area and among PLWH is necessary.
This is particularly important since HIV is a chronic, highly stigmatized disease and
requires significant lifestyle adjustments in order for PLWH to
survive and lead relatively healthy, quality lives.
The purpose of this paper is to identify associations among religious and psychosocial
correlates and covariates of Health-Related Quality of Life among PLWH in the Southeastern
US and also differences in mean HRQoL scores between groups based on socio-demographic and religious factors.
HIV/AIDS Res Treat Open J. 2015; 1(1): 1-15. doi: 10.17140/HARTOJ-1-101
