AEGiS-11IAC: Psychosocial issues in living with HIV/AIDS & healing art of psychosocial therapeutic interventions.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

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Psychosocial issues in living with HIV/AIDS & healing art of psychosocial therapeutic interventions.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:484 (abstract no. Pub.D.1297)
Das S, Hira S; Department of MPSW, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Bombay, India. Fax: 91-22-5562912.

OBJECTIVES:(i.) To evolve psychosocial conceptualization of HIV/AIDS & its consequences for human beings. (ii.) To formulate effective therapeutic approaches for psychosocial interventions.

METHODOLOGY: 20 concordant & 20 discordant couples were selected through simple random sampling. The data was collected through qualitative methods. Data was also included from therapeutic sessions carried out over 13 to 15 months.

RESULTS: Most of the men & women already experienced numerous effects of HIV/AIDS in their social & intrapsychic world. There is greater harmony & complacence among the concordant couples in terms of providing emotional support, solace to each other & compatibility is also much higher in interpersonal & sexual relationships than discordant couples. Intensive supportive psychotherapy has proved to be effective & constructive in dealing with their acceptance of the reality, self-blame, self-hatred internalised homophobia, anxiety & depression. Issues such as - confidentiality, fear of breaking the news to partner, safe sex behaviour, future of children etc. could be handled successfully in the individual & conjoint supportive counselling sessions. It's observed there is tremendous psychological growth & patients found more meaningful ways of living in the realistic world.

CONCLUSION: Right environmental & psychosocial interventions appears to spur on consolidation of self & process of finding meaning in life.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV, HIV Infections, Sex Behavior, HIV Seropositivity, HIV-1, Counseling, Safe Sex, Depression, Anxiety, Human, Female, Male, Child, ICA11KWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hiv,hivinfections,sexbehavior,hivseropositivity,hiv-1,counseling,safesex,depression,anxiety,human,female,male,child,ica11

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PubD1297

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.