| Learning Objective #1: Identify factors contributing to health disparities of rural women with HIV disease | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe methodological strategies and issues in implementing a peer-based social support intervention for rural women with HIV disease |
Objective: to test the effectiveness of a peer-counseling intervention for rural women with HIV disease. Design: The three-year study used a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Population, Sample, Setting, Years: The study targeted rural women with HIV disesase. The sample consisted of 278 African American and caucasian women age 18 and older, with clinical depression. Concepts or Variables Studied Together or Intervention and Outcome Variable(s): A stress, coping, and adaptation framework specified the antecedents (HIV-related stressors), processes (social support and coping), and outcome variables (depression, disease management, and quality of life) of the stress experienced by rural women with HIV disease. The intervention used emotional and informational strategies to increase social support and improve coping effectiveness. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received 9 peer-counseling sessions over a 6-month period. Data was collected at baseline, and immediately and 4-months post-intervention. Data analysis procedures included repeated measures analysis of variance, general linear model procedures and logistic regression. Findings: More than 98% of women screened for the study met the criteria for depression. At baseline, depression was predicted by low education and income, minor impairments in physical functioning, decreased satisfaction with social support, and use of isolation/withdrawal as a primary coping reponse. Combined, the variables accounted for 75% of the variance in depression. Although the intervention was highly valued by all participants in the treatment group, variance in depression across time was associated with differences in peer counselors. Conclusions: Peer counselors are an important source of support for rural women with HIV disease. Implications: The findings of this study provide empirical support for the development of culturally and contextually relevant practice based strategies that are predictably effective in promoting positive health outcomes for rural women with HIV disease.
Back to Living with HIV
Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003