Availability Of Instrumental Support Research Articles

Gender disparities in depression severity and coping among people living with HIV/AIDS in Kolkata, India.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLH) experience high rates of depression and related psychosocial risk factors that vary by gender. This study examines gender differences in depression severity among antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients (n = 362) from a large government ART clinic in Kolkata, India. Hypotheses for multiple linear regression models were guided by an integrated gendered stress process model focusing on variables reflecting social status (age, partner status), stressors (stigma), and resources (income, social support). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); 22% of the sample reached the cutoff for severe depression, 56% moderate, and 13% mild depression. Compared to men, women reported lower income, education (50% no formal education vs. 20% men), availability of emotional and instrumental support, and were less likely to be married or cohabiting (53% women vs. 72% of men). However, more women had partners who were HIV-positive (78% women vs. 46% men). Overall, depression severity was negatively associated with availability of emotional support and self-distraction coping, and positively associated with internalized HIV/AIDS stigma, availability of instrumental support, and behavioral disengagement coping. Interactions for instrumental support by income and partner status by age varied significantly by gender. Analyses stratified by gender indicated that: 1) Frequently seeking instrumental support from others was protective for men at all income levels, but only for high-income women; and 2) having a partner was protective for men as they aged, but not for women. These results suggest that gender disparities in depression severity are created and maintained by women’s lower social status and limited access to resources. The effect of stigma on depression severity did not vary by gender. These findings may inform the tailoring of future interventions to address mental health needs of PLH in India, particularly gender disparities in access to material and social resources for coping with HIV.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT02118454, registered April 2014.

Impact of functional support on health‐related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer

It has been shown that social integration and the availability of social support influence quality of life. However, little is known about the relation between social support and mental and physical health in patients with colorectal cancer. In the current study, the authors examined the effects of social network size, as well as emotional and instrumental support, on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with colorectal cancer. Six hundred thirty-six veterans with colorectal cancer were asked to complete a telephone interview, which included a measure of social support (the Berkman-Syme Index) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-Item Survey. Mean physical composite scale (PCS) and mental composite scale (MCS) scores were compared across groups. No difference in mean PCS or MCS scores was found between patients who had larger social networks and patients who had smaller social networks. The availability of emotional and instrumental support was associated with higher MCS scores, whereas the availability of instrumental support was associated with lower PCS scores. Irrespective of network size, the availability of emotional support and instrumental support had an impact on HRQOL in patients with colorectal cancer. More emphasis needs to be placed on understanding how various types of social support, individually and collectively, influence physical and mental health in patients with colorectal cancer.