Impact of structured support groups for pregnant South African women recently diagnosed HIV positive
Loading...
Date
Authors
Mundell, Jonathan Peter
Visser, M.J. (Maretha Johanna)
Makin, J.D. (Jennifer Dianne)
Kershaw, Trace S.
Forsyth, Brian William Cameron
Jeffery, Bridget
Sikkema, Kathleen J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge
Abstract
The authors of this study evaluated a structured 10-session psy-
chosocial support group intervention for newly HIV-diagnosed
pregnant South African women. Participants were expected to
display increases in HIV disclosure, self-esteem, active coping and
positive social support, and decreases in depression, avoidant
coping, and negative social support. Three hundred sixty-one
pregnant HIV-infected women were recruited from four antenatal clinics in Tshwane townships from April 2005 to September 2006.
Using a quasi-experimental design, assessments were conducted
at baseline and two and eight months post-intervention. A series
of random effects regression analyses were conducted, with the
three assessment points treated as a random effect of time. At
both follow-ups, the rate of disclosure in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the comparison group (p <
0.001). Compared to the comparison group at the first follow-up,
the intervention group displayed higher levels of active coping
(t = 2.68, p < 0.05) and lower levels of avoidant coping (t =
-2.02, p < 0.05), and those who attended at least half of the
intervention sessions exhibited improved self-esteem (t = 2.11,
p < 0.05). Group interventions tailored for newly HIV positive
pregnant women, implemented in resource-limited settings, may
accelerate the process of adjusting to one’s HIV status, but may
not have sustainable benefits over time.
Description
Keywords
HIV/AIDS, Mental health, Pregnancy, Psychosocial, Social support, Adaptation, Adult, Avoidance learning, Case-control studies, Female, Follow-up studies, Health resources, HIV seropositivity, Humans, Poverty, Pregnancy complications, Regression analysis, Self concept, Self disclosure, Self-help groups, Social support, South Africa, Young adult
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Mundell, JP, Visser, MJ, Makin, JD, Kershaw, TS, Forsyth, BWC, Jeffery, B & Sikkema, KJ 2011, 'The impact of structured support groups for pregnant South African women recently diagnosed HIV positive', Women & Health, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 546-565.