AEGiS-14IAC: Psychological representations related to HIV/AIDS after five years of free distribution of antiretrovirals in Sao Paulo city.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Psychological representations related to HIV/AIDS after five years of free distribution of antiretrovirals in Sao Paulo city.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. E11405)

Pedrosa LW, Santos NO
Clinical Hospital of Medicine Faculty of University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

ISSUES: This study aims to verify the psychological and social representations on HIV/AIDS nowadays and to asses the changes these representations have undergone during the last five years of antiretrovirals free distribution. Besides this, the authors seek to verify if the aids related information acquired changed the status of treatment and prevention. Lastly, this study investigates the patient's mood and quality of life and relates it to the psychological and social representations of HIV/AIDS.

DESCRIPTION: The method employed was a comparative survey and quantitative and qualitative analysis. 30 hiv patients were individualy interviewed and answered a questionnaire and Beck Depressive Inventory. All the patients were currently taking ARV drugs. The authors have also conducted an extensive theoretical research in order to identify precisely the aids' psychological and social representations in Brazil during the last 10 years.

ISSUES: The result of this research showed that, despite the side effects of ARV drugs, physical condition and quality of life has increased in the last 5 years. The patients investigated showed no signs of depression according to BDI. The psychological and social representations associated to hiv has changed considerably, being ARV drugs the main agent of this change. It is clear that there are different representations of hiv and aids. Aids was associated to death, pain and prejudiced, as it was represented 10 years ago. The treatment with ARV is associated to hope and salvation and, according to the patients' answers, it seemed to be of paramount importance to the lease of prejudice.

RECOMMENDATIONS: In spite of the increase of quality of life and life span, it is important to observe and analyse if this issues are in any way related to increase of risky behavior in transmissibility of hiv and problems of compliances.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Demography, HIV Seropositivity, Mental Disorders, Questionnaires, Prejudice, Research, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Patient Compliance, Cities, Depression, Brazil, Human, PsychologyKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivinfections,demography,hivseropositivity,mentaldisorders,questionnaires,prejudice,research,psychiatricstatusratingscales,patientcompliance,cities,depression,brazil,human,psychology

020707
E11405

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.