Psychosocial factors associated with antiretroviral therapy adherence among HIV positive partners in discordant relationships
Abstract
Introduction
;
The HIV
discordant sexual partners in stable relationships account
for
5
% of all
couples in
Kenya (KAIS
,
2012). New
HIV
infections have been noted to be
highest among this segment of the
community. Recent
findi
ngs have demonstrated
that use of ARVs by an infected partner can lower chances of HIV transmission by
96% to their uninfected partner(Kathy Stover 2011).
For drugs to work they must be
taken as instructed, poor adherence is a major
cause of
suboptimal res
ponse to
medication. This
research explored psychosocial factors associated with adherence to
ARVs
among
infected partners in discordant relationships
in Thika district
.
Methodology:
The
study utilized cross sectional descriptive
design
.
Adherence
was
asse
ssed using a questionnaire
to collect quantitative
data
and a focus group
discussion guide was designed and used for collection
of qualitative data
.
Results:
Findings
revealed an adherence level
of 91.89
% among the 2
22
respondents.
Motivators to adherence
reported
included
belief in treatment efficacy (97.17%)
and
social
support (
74% p=0.003)
.
Risk
factors
associated
with
non
-
adherence
included
lack of transport
(
20%
)
, forgetting
to take
medication
and
illness
(
16.7%
)
and fa
mily
and marital conflict
(
12.5%
)
.
Psychiatric morbidity observed
among the participants
included depress
ive symptoms
(
18.3%
)
(
p
–
value 0.002.
Alcohol
use (
22.5%
)
and
other
psychoactive
drugs
like tobacco at
18.8
%.
Intimate partner violence and risky
sexual
behavior were al
so risk facto
rs
for
non
-
adherence at p=0.028 and p<
0.00
5
respectively.
Recommendations:
The study pro
poses putting in place interventions
aimed at
addressing social economic conditions, intimate partner violence, and treatment of
psychiatric illness so as to address the sub optimal levels of adherence.
Publisher
University of Nairobi