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Self-Management Strategies for Coping with Adverse Symptoms in Persons Living with HIV with HIV Associated Non-AIDS Conditions

AIDS and Behavior volume 22, pages 297–307 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

People living with HIV (PLWH) are living longer, but many are now affected by HIV-associated non-AIDS (HANA) conditions and their associated adverse symptoms. An online survey was conducted with 769 PLWH with HANA conditions in the US. Information was elicited on symptoms experienced, self-management strategies employed, and the helpfulness of these strategies. Open ended responses were collected for self-management strategies. A qualitative data analytic approach was used to organize the 4036 self-management strategies into thematic categories, with eight main categories emerging, including: taking medication, modifying activity, altering diet, seeking help, waiting, substance use, managing thoughts and attitudes, and altering the physical environment. Of the self-management strategy subcategories, social support was the most helpful self-management strategy with waiting/doing nothing being the least helpful approach. Findings can be used to inform the development of self-management interventions and to support health care professionals in recommending symptom self-management strategies to their patients.

Resumen

Personas viviendo con el VIH (PLWH) están viviendo más tiempo, pero muchas de ellas están siendo afectadas por condiciones relacionadas con el VIH no relacionadas con el SIDA (HANA), y por los síntomas adversos de estas condiciones. Una encuesta en línea fue realizada con 769 PLWH con condiciones HANA en los EE.UU. Se obtuvo información sobre los síntomas presente, las estrategias de automanejo empleadas y la utilidad de estas estrategias. Respuestas con un final abierto fueron obtenidas para las estrategias de automanejo. Un enfoque analítico de datos cualitativos fue utilizado para organizar las 4036 estrategias de automanejo en categorías temáticas, y ocho categorías principales surgieron, incluyendo: tomar medicamentos, modificar actividad, alterar la dieta, buscar ayuda, esperar, usar sustancias, controlar los pensamientos y las actitudes, y alterar el entorno físico. De las subcategorías de estrategias de automanejo, el apoyo social fue la estrategia de automanejo más útil y esperar/no tomar acción fue la estrategia menos útil. Los hallazgos de este estudio pueden ser utilizados para contribuir al desarrollo de intervenciones de automanejo, y para apoyar a profesionales de salud en recomendar estrategias de automanejo de síntomas a sus pacientes.

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Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01NR015737. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. All authors had full access to all the data and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Sarah Iribarren, Joseph Krongold, Heidi Luft & Rebecca Schnall

  2. Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Sarah Iribarren

  3. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Karolynn Siegel

  4. Research and Evaluation Unit, Public Health Solutions, New York, NY, USA

    Sabina Hirshfield

  5. College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Susan Olender

  6. Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Joachim Voss

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  1. Sarah Iribarren
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Correspondence to Rebecca Schnall.

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Iribarren, S., Siegel, K., Hirshfield, S. et al. Self-Management Strategies for Coping with Adverse Symptoms in Persons Living with HIV with HIV Associated Non-AIDS Conditions. AIDS Behav 22, 297–307 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1786-6

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Keywords

  • HANA conditions
  • HIV
  • Online survey
  • Self-management strategies
  • Symptoms

Palabras clave

  • condiciones HANA
  • VIH
  • encuesta en línea
  • estrategias de automanejo
  • síntomas