Helena Garrido-Hernansaiz

Stigmas, symptom severity and perceived social support predict quality of life for PLHIV in urban Indian context

BackgroundMultiple variables have been studied in relation to health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but research has not integrated the contributions of different variables in a single model that allows to compare them. This study, carried out with people living with HIV/AIDS in India, sought to develop a prediction model considering various predictors previously found to be related to HRQoL, namely sociodemographic factors, HIV symptoms, social support, stigmas and avoidant coping.MethodsA sample of 961 HIV-positive persons from Bengaluru and Mumbai participated in this cross-sectional study, completing a sociodemographic questionnaire along with HRQoL, HIV symptoms, disclosure expectations, disclosure avoidance, social support and internalized, felt, vicarious and enacted stigma scales. Bivariate associations were obtained (correlations, ANOVAs and t tests) and a multiple regression analysis was performed.ResultsResults show that, when all variables are considered together, being married, widowed or deserted, symptom intensity, internalized stigma, disclosure avoidance and enacted stigma contribute negatively to predict HRQoL. On the other hand, being employed, good disclosure expectations and good social support contribute positively to predict HRQoL. Almost half of the variance in HRQoL was explained by this model.ConclusionsInterventions seeking to increase HRQoL in people living with HIV/AIDS in India would benefit from addressing these aspects.

Development and Validation of the ADAS Scale and Prediction of Attitudes Toward Affective-Sexual Diversity Among Spanish Secondary Students

ABSTRACT Violence against non-heterosexual adolescents in educational contexts remains a worrying reality, but no adequate attitudes toward affective-sexual diversity (AtASD) measure exists for Spanish adolescent students. We developed a 27-item scale including cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects, which was completed by 696 secondary school students from the Madrid area. Factor analyses suggested a unidimensional model, Cronbach’s alpha indicated excellent scale scores reliability, and item calibration under the item response theory framework showed that the scale is especially informative for homophobic attitudes. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that variables traditionally related to AtASD (gender, age, religion, nationality, perceived parental/peer attitudes, direct contact with LGB people) also were so in our sample. Moreover, interest in sexuality topics and perceived center’s efforts to provide AtASD education were related to better AtASD. Our scale was reliable and valid, and it may also prove useful in efforts to detect those students with homophobic attitudes and to guide interventions.

Personal factors underlying resilience: development and validation of the Resiliency Questionnaire for Adults

Abstract Resilience outcomes following significant adverse events are related to certain personal attributes, termed resiliency factors. This study aimed to adapt the Prince-Embury resiliency model, developed with children and adolescents, to adult populations. To that end, the Resiliency Questionnaire for Adults (RQA) was developed, consisting of nine characteristics organised around three factors: Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness and Emotional Reactivity. The questionnaire adequacy was tested in adults from both general and health-distressed populations (N = 430) through reliability, confirmatory factor, cross-validation and multiple-group analyses. Criterion validity was assessed via path analysis with latent variables to predict resilience outcomes. The RQA scores were reliable and the three-factor model fitted the data well. The three resiliency factors predicted two-thirds of the variance in resilience. This questionnaire constitutes a reliable and valid assessment of personal factors underlying resilience.

Associations Among Resilience, Posttraumatic Growth, Anxiety, and Depression and Their Prediction From Stress in Newly Diagnosed People Living With HIV

Helena Garrido-Hernansaiz, MS, is a Researcher in Training, Department of Biological and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidad Aut onoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. (*Correspondence to: helenagarrido42@gmail.com). Jes us Alonso-Tapia, PhD, is a Full Professor, Department of Biological and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidad Aut onoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Social Support in Newly Diagnosed People living With HIV: Expectations and Satisfaction Along Time, Predictors, and Mental Health Correlates

&NA; Social support usually decreases following HIV diagnosis, and decreased support is related to worsening mental health. We investigated the evolution of social support after HIV diagnosis and its relationship to anxiety, depression, and resilience, and sought to develop a social support prediction model. There were 119 newly diagnosed Spanish speakers who participated in this longitudinal study, completing measures of social support, internalized stigma, disclosure concerns, degree of disclosure, coping, anxiety, depression, and resilience. Bivariate associations and multiple regression analyses were performed. Results showed that the highest levels of support arose from friends, health care providers, and partners, and that social support decreased following diagnosis. Subsequent social support was negatively predicted by avoidance coping and positively by approach coping, steady partnership, and disclosure. It was significantly associated with decreased anxiety and depression and higher resilience. Interventions should seek to promote mental health in people living with HIV by increasing social support.

Posttraumatic growth inventory: factor structure in Spanish-speaking people living with HIV

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study analyzed the factorial structure of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) in a sample of 304 Spanish-speaking HIV-positive adults. Participants completed the PTGI and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out through structural equations modeling, with a Varimax rotation. Factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 were extracted, and items with loadings higher than .5 on a factor and lower than .4 on the rest were retained. Two confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to test a hierarchical model and a bifactor model. Reliability analyses were conducted. EFA suggested a three-factor model keeping 11 of the original 21 items. The three factors that emerged were changes in philosophy of life, in the self and in interpersonal relationships. CFAs suggested that only the bifactor model fitted the data. The three factors as well as the global scale showed good reliability. The factor structure of PTGI’s scores in our data is consistent with the three dimensions theorized by Tedeschi and Calhoun, which speaks in favor of the construct validity of this measure.

HIV-related stigma and optimism as predictors of anxiety and depression among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in the United Kingdom and Ireland

ABSTRACT This study investigated the associations between forms of HIV-related optimism, HIV-related stigma, and anxiety and depression among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. HIV health optimism (HHO) and HIV transmission optimism (HTO) were hypothesised to be protective factors for anxiety and depression, while the components of HIV-related stigma (enacted stigma, disclosure concerns, concern with public attitudes, and internalised stigma) were hypothesised to be risk factors. Data were collected from 278 HIV-positive MSM using an online questionnaire. The prevalence of psychological distress was high, with close to half (48.9%) of all participants reporting symptoms of anxiety, and more than half (57.9%) reporting symptoms of depression. Multiple linear regressions revealed that both anxiety and depression were positively predicted by internalised stigma and enacted stigma, and negatively predicted by HHO. For both anxiety and depression, internalised stigma was the strongest and most significant predictor. The results highlight the continued psychological burden associated with HIV infection among MSM, even as community support services are being defunded across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The results point to the need for clinicians and policy makers to implement stigma reduction interventions among this population.