The Effect of Social Support on Hiv-Positive Individuals
The role of social support in coping with HIV/AIDS
The terminal nature of HIV has been a source of profound despair in modern civilization. The brutal effects of the virus are untreatable and as a result have forced interventionists to seek other methods of helping patients who have been infected by the disease. Psychologists have sought ways of improving the mental state of patients; at the forefront of this particular research field is the role of social support in coping with HIV. Social support has largely been believed to have a positive effect on the mental well-being of people, not only HIV patients, but humans in general. Therefore it makes sense that such a strategy might blight the role of such a chronic disease slightly. However it is worth noting that support might not always be best suited for an infected individual. In this essay I will explore the various implications (positive as well as negative) of social support in the context of an HIV-infected human being, while additionally considering other factors such as the stigma associated with this disease. The essay will also consider the limitations of social support by referring to insubstantial research scopes, gender differences, culture differences etc. However it will indicate that in the majority of instances, social support is a vital means of buffering the chronic strains of HIV.
Living with HIV can be life-altering and stressful. When patients initially discover that they have contracted the disease they go through very strenuous emotions. They initially feel anger, shock and experience fear of isolation from family and close friends. Experiencing such emotions increases the risk of depression (American Psychiatric Association, (2008, December 17th), http://www.psychiatry.org/hiv-and-aids). Therefore, the value of someone who acts as a social crutch during this initial phase is immense.
After the initial diagnoses the HIV-infected person will experience other tribulations that might
The terminal nature of HIV has been a source of profound despair in modern civilization. The brutal effects of the virus are untreatable and as a result have forced interventionists to seek other methods of helping patients who have been infected by the disease. Psychologists have sought ways of improving the mental state of patients; at the forefront of this particular research field is the role of social support in coping with HIV. Social support has largely been believed to have a positive effect on the mental well-being of people, not only HIV patients, but humans in general. Therefore it makes sense that such a strategy might blight the role of such a chronic disease slightly. However it is worth noting that support might not always be best suited for an infected individual. In this essay I will explore the various implications (positive as well as negative) of social support in the context of an HIV-infected human being, while additionally considering other factors such as the stigma associated with this disease. The essay will also consider the limitations of social support by referring to insubstantial research scopes, gender differences, culture differences etc. However it will indicate that in the majority of instances, social support is a vital means of buffering the chronic strains of HIV.
Living with HIV can be life-altering and stressful. When patients initially discover that they have contracted the disease they go through very strenuous emotions. They initially feel anger, shock and experience fear of isolation from family and close friends. Experiencing such emotions increases the risk of depression (American Psychiatric Association, (2008, December 17th), http://www.psychiatry.org/hiv-and-aids). Therefore, the value of someone who acts as a social crutch during this initial phase is immense.
After the initial diagnoses the HIV-infected person will experience other tribulations that might
Bibliography: Su, X., et al (2013): Perceived discrimination, social support, and perceived stress among people living with HIV/AIDS in China, AIDS Care: Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 25:2, 239-248 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2012.701713 Green, G. (1993). Editorial Review: Social support and HIV. AIDS CARE, 5(1) 87-103 Mizuno, Y., Purcell, D.W., Dawson-Rose, C., Parsons, J.T & The Sudis Team Sheurs & De Ridder (1997) Clinical Psychology Review: Integration of coping and social support perspectives: implications of adaptation to chronic diseases. 17(1), 89-112 Friedland, J., Renwick, R & McColl, M