Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness among HIV-Positive People from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Carlos Jesús Canova-Barrios
PMID 35485624WHAT IT FOUND
Among HIV-positive adults, poor medication adherence was linked to worse self-reported adjustment, especially around health care and extended family.
Use these areas for assessment and education, not as proof of cause.
Key findings
01Patients with poor treatment adherence had worse psychosocial adjustment scores, and the study cannot show which came first.
02The authors reported extended family relationship and health care orientation as domains with worse perceived adjustment, with median scores of 55.00 and 56.00.
03Older age was associated with better adjustment in several domains, while younger adults showed worse adjustment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The authors note a small sample size. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that poor adjustment caused poor adherence or that better adjustment would improve adherence. The sample came from private clinics in Buenos Aires and was mostly male, employed, and university educated, so it may not apply to other HIV-positive groups. Only 144 of 153 recruited participants were analysed, and adjustment and adherence were self-reported. The paper says the results apply to people from middle-income chronic diseases specialized care programs.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that poor psychosocial adjustment causes poor adherence. The study measured both at the same time and says no cause-effect relationship can be established.