Mansour Fathi; Leila Abdolmaleki; Sara Makki Alamdari; Seyed Hossein Mohaqeqi
Abstract
Objective: Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience various psychosocial challenges, which negatively affecttheir quality of life (QOL). The current study examines the outcomes of women living with HIV (WLWH), whoreceive cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for improving quality of life in Tehran, ...
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Objective: Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience various psychosocial challenges, which negatively affecttheir quality of life (QOL). The current study examines the outcomes of women living with HIV (WLWH), whoreceive cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for improving quality of life in Tehran, Iran.Method: The design of the study is a randomized clinical trial (RCT). Sixty women with HIV were randomly assignedinto control and intervention groups, with 30 participants for each group. A 10-session cognitive behavioral grouptherapy was provided only to the intervention group. The control group participated in 3 sessions without specialtraining. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, quality of life was measured using the MultidimensionalQuality of Life Questionnaire for HIV/AIDS (MQoL-HIV) before and one month after intervention delivery. Pre-testand post-tests were compared using t-test analysis.Results: After 10 weeks of training, the Mean±SD QOL score significantly increased in the intervention group. Basedon covariance analysis, the intervention group had a significantly higher QOL score than the control group after theintervention P<0.05.Conclusion: Due to the low quality of life among WLWH, CBGT can be helpful in providing psychologicalrehabilitation to improve the quality of life of this group.
Mansour Fathi; Maryam Abbasi; Maryam Khakrangin
Abstract
Objective: Although HIV-infected women in Iran face many problems, research in this area is limited. This research aims to understand and deeply comprehend the issues and challenges HIV-infected women encounter.
Method: Qualitative research method and content analysis were applied in this study. The ...
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Objective: Although HIV-infected women in Iran face many problems, research in this area is limited. This research aims to understand and deeply comprehend the issues and challenges HIV-infected women encounter.
Method: Qualitative research method and content analysis were applied in this study. The participants of the research were HIV-infected women referred to three Supportive Health Centers in Tehran. Among them, 17 participants were selected through the convenience sampling method. The data collection technique was a semi-structured in-depth interview. The collected data were coded and interpreted using thematic analysis.
Results: The results of the interview analysis revealed six categories of "social exclusion", "job problems", "social phobia caused by stigma", "mental problems", "treatment problems", and “coping mechanisms”.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that HIV-infected women face many challenges in their individual and social life for social integration and reducing their problems; besides, individual empowerment, structural, and social interventions are also essential. The results of this study can be used in policy-making, the presentation of supportive programs, and social services for HIV-infected women and their families.
