Okonkwo Nelson Obiora, Larkan Fiona, Galligan Marie
Centre for Global Health, University of Dublin Trinity College, 7-9 Leinster Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Biostatistician, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
Springerplus. 2016 Jun 16;5(1):726. doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-2302-6. eCollection 2016.
To determine the level of perceived social support among older adults living with HIV and AIDS in Dublin.
The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 46 adults aged 50 years or older who are members of open heart house (OHH) in Ireland, a peer support network for people living with HIV and AIDS. Participants completed a set of interviewer-assisted questionnaires, which included the multidimensional measure of perceived social support (PSS) to assess the level of social support.
Levels of PSS among participants were observed as follows: 54 % had low PSS, 33 % had a moderate PSS and 13 % had high PSS. A fifth of the study participants had a history of injection drug use (IDU) and this group reported higher PSS scores in general than non-IDU's (H = 79.500, Z = -2.678, p = 0.006). PSS scores were observed to be higher in general among participants with longer duration of infection [H(2) = 7.856, p = 0.020].
Despite its limitations, this study provides vital information about the level of social support among older people living with HIV and AIDS at OHH Dublin. An unexpected but interesting finding was the positive relationship between IDU and PSS level. Formulation of strategies to enable older PLHA to be more proactive members of their community through a peer support network sponsored volunteer services should be encouraged.
确定都柏林感染艾滋病毒和艾滋病的老年人所感受到的社会支持水平。
该研究采用横断面调查设计，从爱尔兰“敞开心扉之家”（OHH）的46名50岁及以上成年人中收集数据，OHH是一个为感染艾滋病毒和艾滋病者提供同伴支持的网络。参与者完成了一组由访谈员协助的问卷，其中包括感知社会支持多维量表（PSS）以评估社会支持水平。
观察到参与者的PSS水平如下：54%的人PSS水平低，33%的人PSS水平中等，13%的人PSS水平高。五分之一的研究参与者有注射吸毒史（IDU），该组总体上报出的PSS分数高于非IDU者（H = 79.500，Z = -2.678，p = 0.006）。总体上，感染时间较长的参与者的PSS分数更高[H(2) = 7.856，p = 0.020]。
尽管存在局限性，但本研究提供了有关都柏林OHH中感染艾滋病毒和艾滋病的老年人社会支持水平的重要信息。一个意外但有趣的发现是IDU与PSS水平之间的正相关关系。应鼓励制定策略，通过同伴支持网络赞助的志愿服务，使老年艾滋病毒感染者和艾滋病患者成为其社区更积极的成员。
