Characteristics of Persons Living With HIV Who Have Informal Caregivers in the cART Age of the Epidemic.
Rebecca Schnall, Sabina Hirshfield, Jianfang Liu and 2 others
PMID 28941571WHAT IT FOUND
24% of people living with HIV had an informal caregiver.
Older age, prior AIDS, other chronic conditions, lower income, substance use, and suburban or rural living were more likely; cardiovascular disease was less likely.
Key findings
0124% of the 1373 respondents reported having an informal caregiver.
02More HIV-associated non-AIDS conditions, age 65 or older, bisexual orientation, African American race, ever having AIDS, substance use in the past 3 months, and suburban or rural residence were predictors of having a caregiver.
03Among participants reporting a caregiver, 37.1% said the caregiver was a romantic partner or spouse, 35.8% a family member, and 15.15% a friend.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey's primary purpose was to assess symptom experiences, and those findings are reported elsewhere; this paper analyses caregiver characteristics. Recruitment was online and anonymous, so people willing to report HIV status and symptoms may differ from those who did not take part. The survey did not establish when or how someone became a caregiver, or whether the person receiving care and the caregiver both recognized the relationship. The analysis used Lasso regularization, which does not provide ordinary p-values or confidence intervals for the final predictors. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that these characteristics caused a person to have a caregiver.
Declared interests
The authors report no real or perceived vested interests that could be construed as a conflict of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that older age, prior AIDS, chronic conditions, substance use, or suburban or rural residence causes someone to have an informal caregiver. The study is cross-sectional and did not test interventions.