Socio-demographic Factors, Social Supports, and Quality of Life among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether quality of life and social support differ by socio-demographic factors and whether socio-demographic characteristics and social support are associated with quality of life in individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. This study utilized concepts from the intersection domains of social capital, social network, and social support theories. Using a cross sectional design, survey data were collected from 300 participants selected because they attend support groups meetings, are a convenient sample, and also have experience in participating in research studies. The Medical Outcome Studies (MOS) HIV Health Survey and the MOS Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) instruments were used to assess quality of life and social support respectively. A demographic questionnaire developed by this researcher was also used to gather demographic information about the respondents. The study used independent sample t-tests to determine possible differences in quality of life and social supports among individuals across socio-demographic factors, Multiple regression was used to determine if socio-demographic factors moderated the relationship between social support and quality of life, and to also identify factors associated with quality of life. Social support was higher for men, married individuals, and those with more than 12 years of education while the reports on quality of life was higher for men. There was a positive association between overall social support and overall quality of life (r = .51). Sex contributed most to quality of life. Males reported poorer quality of life at low social support but better quality of life at higher social support. Females, on the other hand reported lower quality of life compared to the males but their reports of quality of life were approximately the same at both low and high social support. Similarly, those who have children reported slightly better quality of life than those who do not have children but these two groups reported about the same quality of life at high social support. Overall, the findings from this study indicate that the combination of socio-demographic factors and social support related to quality of life. Implications of the findings for practice, research, and policy in Ghana were discussed.