Social support and HIV: Relationship between Clinical and Sociodemographic Characteristics and Treatment Adherence

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the relationship between social support, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and treatment adherence using the Social Support Inventory for People who are HIV Positive or Have AIDS. Thus, it were evaluated 119 HIV-positive patients, of which 53.8% were men. Regarding the availability and satisfaction mean values were 3.37 (DP=1.00) for the instrumental support and 3.48 (DP=1.06) for emotional support. Significant differences were found in the availability and satisfaction of social support with clinical and sociodemographic variables. It was found that the greater the availability and satisfaction with social support, the greater the OR for adherence to treatment. The development of social support strategies can positively contribute to disease control and better quality of life of HIV-positive patients.