Hardiness training for HIV-infected women

Abstract

Aim objective is to study the relationship between the viability of HIV-infected women and their psychological state, lifelong orientations, and coping strategies for developing psychological intervention.Materials and methods. The study participants were patients of the St. Petersburg Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS. The questionnaire includes the socio-demographic characteristics of women. «Resilience Test» S. Muddy, test «Meaningful Life Orientations» (SJO) D. A. Leont’ev, Stress Management Strategies (SACS) Questionnaire C. Hobfall, the SSD-12 scale evaluates the psychological stress associated with somatic symptoms. The Impact of Event Scale is designed to measure specific human responses to stressors, where a common scale measures the degree to which a response to HIV infection is a traumatic event.Results. The average age of women who participated in the training is 38.9 years. 48,1% (13/27) have higher education. 37% (10/27) have No children. 48,1% (13/27) of women are single (do not have a permanent sexual partner). 33,3% (9/27) of the participants were diagnosed with HIV infection less than a year ago. The training included a complex of three classes. Participants gathered once a week from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The group was open. Those who completed a set of three classes were asked to fill out a feedback form. The indicators of the «Resilience» test at a high level of statistical significance are positively associated with the indicators of the LSS «General Intelligence», «Goals in Life», «Life Process», «Life Efficiency», «Locus of Control-I», «Locus of Control-Life». The severity of the perception of the diagnosis of HIV infection as a traumatic event has a two-way connection with psychological tension (at the cognitive, affective and behavioral levels), a negative connection with the meaning of life orientations and the need to find the «source» of the meaning of life at the moment. The traumatic effect of HIV infection is associated with aggressive behavior, difficulties in the meaningfulness of what is happening, with a loss of vigilance and self-confidence.