Psychosocial differences between urban and rural people living with HIV/AIDS. J Rural Health 1998;14(2):138-45
Date
08/26/1998Pubmed ID
9715002DOI
10.1111/j.1748-0361.1998.tb00615.xScopus ID
2-s2.0-0031826070 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 89 CitationsAbstract
During the past decade, many investigations have examined the life circumstances of people living with HIV disease. Most of these studies, however, have focused on HIV-infected people in large metropolitan areas. This study compares the psychosocial profiles of rural and urban people living with HIV disease. Anonymous, self-administered surveys were completed by 276 people with HIV/AIDS in a Midwestern state. The assessment instrument measured respondents' quality of life, perceptions of loneliness, social support, experiences with AIDS-related discrimination, access to services, and illness-related coping strategies. Compared with their urban counterparts, rural people with HIV reported a significantly lower satisfaction with life, lower perceptions of social support from family members and friends, reduced access to medical and mental health care, elevated levels of loneliness, more community stigma, heightened personal fear that their HIV serostatus would be learned by others, and more maladaptive coping strategies. Programs that are designed to improve the life circumstances of people with HIV disease in rural areas--particularly those that facilitate access to adequate health care, increase perceptions of social support, and improve illness-related coping--are urgently needed.
Author List
Heckman TG, Somlai AM, Kalichman SC, Franzoi SL, Kelly JAAuthor
Jeffrey A. Kelly PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Adaptation, PsychologicalAdult
Analysis of Variance
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
HIV Infections
Health Services Accessibility
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prejudice
Quality of Life
Rural Health
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
Urban Health
Wisconsin
