Quality of Life, Health Perception and Meaning in Life among Selected People Living with HIV/AIDS in a Hospital in South Western Nigeria

Abstract

The pandemic of HIV/AIDS has led to socioeconomic and general health challenges for people living with the condition and the society at large. Therefore, HIV/AIDS does not only affect the physical wellbeing but also the health perception, meaning and quality of Life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The study examined quality of life, health perception and meaning in life among selected PLWHA in a Hospital in South-western, Nigeria. A purposive sample of 210, 59 males and 151 females PLWHA with age ranges between 18 and 90 years, 44.46±15.74 participated in the study. A structured questionnaire format was used to collect data and analysed using Correlation and Regression analyses. The result showed that; search for meaning in life correlated with social relationship domain (r=.201,p<.01)and general health perception (r=.195,p<01), while presence of meaning in life correlated with general health perception (r=.234,p<.01) and overall quality of life (r=.017,p<.05). Search for meaning in life (B=.032, β=.193, p<.05) independently predict general health perception, whereas, presence and search for meaning in life (R=.23, R2=.06, p<.01) jointly predict general health perception. It was concluded that search for meaning in life linked with social relationship and general health perception and presence of meaning in life connected with general health perception and overall quality of life. Also presence and search for meaning in life predict general health perception of PLWHA. It was recommended that assessment of meaning in life and perceived quality of life should be included in the therapeutic management process of PLWHA.