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A Detailed Analysis of the Social Support Networks of Older Adults with HIV in Uganda and South Africa

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Aging with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Research on older people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa finds high rates of comorbidity in addition to HIV, suggesting they will require increasing assistance from informal social networks. Data are scarce on social network dynamics of older people with HIV in the region, and research is needed to understand how their social networks provide support as they age. To address this gap, we examined social support resources among older people with HIV from Uganda (n = 101) and South Africa (n = 108). There were several significant differences between these two populations in the composition of their social networks, support provided, and perceptions of social support sufficiency. In general, older people with HIV in Uganda tended to report having larger networks in more frequent contact, which may reflect their greater likelihood of rural residence and lower likelihood of family migration for economic opportunities compared to their South African peers. Despite high levels of informal support in both countries, a sizable proportion felt that support from family and friends was insufficient to meet their needs. Given the limited government and community-based services targeting older people with HIV in this region, policy and program initiatives to bolster support are sorely needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Mark Brennan-Ing & Jennifer E. Kaufman

  2. Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Kristen E. Porter

  3. School of Health and Society, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Catherine MacPhail

  4. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Janet Seeley

  5. Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda

    Janet Seeley & Monica O. Kuteesa

  6. Center on HIV and Aging, GMHC, New York, NY, USA

    Stephen E. Karpiak

  7. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Francois Venter

  8. School of Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Victor Minichiello

  9. IAVI, Nairobi, Kenya

    Monica O. Kuteesa

  10. The University of Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Joel Negin

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  1. Mark Brennan-Ing
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  2. Jennifer E. Kaufman
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  3. Kristen E. Porter
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  4. Catherine MacPhail
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  5. Janet Seeley
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  6. Stephen E. Karpiak
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  7. Francois Venter
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  8. Victor Minichiello
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  9. Monica O. Kuteesa
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  10. Joel Negin
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Correspondence to Mark Brennan-Ing .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Mark Brennan-Ing

  2. Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Kristen E. Porter

  3. Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Jennifer E. Kaufman

  4. School of Health and Society Faculty of the Arts Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Catherine MacPhail

  5. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Janet Seeley

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Brennan-Ing, M. et al. (2022). A Detailed Analysis of the Social Support Networks of Older Adults with HIV in Uganda and South Africa. In: Brennan-Ing, M., Porter, K.E., Kaufman, J.E., MacPhail, C., Seeley, J. (eds) Aging with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96368-2_8

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