Psychosocial Problems of Adults Living with HIV/AIDS in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Abstract:

Introduction: HIV is a major global public health issue. People living with HIV and their families have a wide variety of problems including psychosocial problems which need to be addressed. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out to identify and measure the psychosocial needs of adult PLWHA attending two hospitals in Jos, Nigeria. Results: There was a total of 390 respondents interviewed. The mean age was 33.4 + 7.7 years and 245 (62.8%) respondents were females while 145 (37.2%) were males. In all, 360 (92.7%) reported disclosing their status while 338 (86.7%) reportedly received counselling for disclosure. Most respondents, 224 (77.8%), disclosed their status to their partners while only 61.5% know their partner’s HIV status. Also, over 4% reported no preventive/protective measures for their partners. Most respondents (92.1%) desire spiritual support and the preferred source of Spiritual support for the majority (63.4%) of the respondents is their pastor or Imam while some (16.5%) would rather relate with their God directly. Conclusion: In conclusion, although counselling for disclosure and disclosure to partners was high, spiritual support and involvement in care and support groups were low. There is a need to sustain and strengthen psychosocial support for PLHA in order to meet these needs thus improving their quality of life.