Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Keck School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA, USA.
AIDS Care. 2023 Apr;35(4):600-607. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2057907. Epub 2022 Mar 31.
Gerontological research suggests that social network characteristics are key elements of successful aging as they are related to a positive quality-of-life (QoL). Less is known about the social networks of persons aging with HIV. To describe social network characteristics and assess the effect of social network size on QoL, a sample of 146 OPWH (age ≥50) was recruited from an outpatient HIV clinic in Atlanta, GA. Social network size was assessed using Cohen's social network index (SNI). Domains of QoL (physical, emotional, and social) were assessed using the RAND-36. Descriptive analyses were used to determine the frequency of contact within social networks and multivariable regression models were used to assess the relationship between SNI and three domains of QoL controlling for potential covariates. Participants were predominantly male (60%), heterosexual (63%), and African American (86%). Regular contact occurred most frequently with friends (82%) and relatives (77%). Multivariable modeling revealed that SNI explained 58% of the variance in emotional QoL ( = 0.58, F(8, 137) = 25.48, < .001). Findings provide basis for potential interventions focused on the specific social network to improve emotional QoL of this vulnerable population.
老年学研究表明，社会网络特征是成功老龄化的关键因素，因为它们与积极的生活质量（QoL）有关。然而，对于 HIV 感染者的社会网络知之甚少。为了描述社会网络特征，并评估社会网络规模对生活质量的影响，我们从佐治亚州亚特兰大的一家门诊 HIV 诊所招募了 146 名 OPWH（年龄≥50 岁）作为样本。社会网络规模使用科恩的社会网络指数（SNI）进行评估。使用 RAND-36 评估生活质量的三个领域（身体、情感和社会）。描述性分析用于确定社会网络内的接触频率，多变量回归模型用于评估 SNI 与三个生活质量领域之间的关系，同时控制潜在的协变量。参与者主要为男性（60%）、异性恋（63%）和非裔美国人（86%）。经常与朋友（82%）和亲戚（77%）接触。多变量建模表明，SNI 解释了情感生活质量的 58%的变异性（=0.58，F（8,137）=25.48，<.001）。研究结果为针对特定社会网络的潜在干预措施提供了基础，以改善这一弱势群体的情感生活质量。
