Psychological distress, coping strategies, social support among people living with HIV, case study: TASO headquarters Mulago hospital
Abstract
The study aimed at examining the relationship between psychological distress, coping strategies and social Support among people living with HIV, case study TASO Head Quarters Mulago Hospital. The study adopted a quantitative study design which was correlation in nature with a population of 60 people living with HIV. Simple random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 52 respondents from the population. Data was collected from respondents using self-administered standard questionnaire and entered in the computer for analysis through Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 23. Descriptive statistics showed that (92.3 %) of the respondents were female and (7.7%) were male, majority of participants were between 15-18 years (46.2%). Results from Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) further indicated that there was a positive relationship psychological distress and coping strategies (r= .325**, p=.000), as well coping strategies and social support (r=.927**, p=.000), and psychological distress also positively influenced seek for social support by people living with HIV, (r=.564**, p=.000). Therefore, the present study provides a basis and implications for further investigation on the relationship between psychological distress, coping strategies and social support among people living with HIV at TASO Mulago. It was recommended that the management of TASO Mulago needs to ddesign strategies of how to help people living with HIV and psychologically distressed. For example providing HIV counselling services and conducting out reaches on weekly basis to patients