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Mental Health and Social Support Among HIV-Positive Injection Drug Users and Their Caregivers in China

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Abstract

The burden of HIV/AIDS in China is due to injection drug use. Non-clinical caregivers provide much of the care for HIV patients but are often not included in HIV care or research. The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between the caregiver context and mental health of HIV-positive injection drug users and their caregivers. We interviewed 96 patient–caregiver dyads using quantitative methods. A conceptual model was developed as a framework for multivariate linear regression modeling. The strongest predictor of poor patient mental health was lack of social support, which was largely determined by the caregiver’s stigma towards HIV/AIDS and caregiver burden. Patient disability and caregiver burden were the primary predictors of poor caregiver mental health. The interrelated nature of caregiver and patient mental health supports the inclusion of caregiver health into the patient’s HIV/AIDS treatment to maximize support provision and health for the patient and caregiver.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Wilbur G. Downs International Student Health Travel Fellowship and the Office of Student Research at the Yale School of Medicine. The authors wish to thank Yun Li, Kunming Medical University and the Rainbow Center for their valuable contributions to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    M. Claire Greene, Mayur Desai & Trace Kershaw

  2. School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650031, Yunnan Province, China

    Jianping Zhang

  3. Yunnan Institute of Drug Abuse, Kunming, 650228, Yunnan Province, China

    Jianhua Li

  4. Yale School of Public Health, Room 415, 60 College, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Trace Kershaw

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  1. M. Claire Greene
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  2. Jianping Zhang
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  3. Jianhua Li
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  5. Trace Kershaw
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Correspondence to Trace Kershaw.

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Greene, M.C., Zhang, J., Li, J. et al. Mental Health and Social Support Among HIV-Positive Injection Drug Users and Their Caregivers in China. AIDS Behav 17, 1775–1784 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0396-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0396-6

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