Marseille 2007
Marseille 2007
Abstract book
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Abstract #464  -  PREDICTION OFADHERENCE TO ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY: CAN PATIENTSGENDER PLAY SOME ROLE? AN ITALIAN PILOT STUDY
Session:
  26.67: Posters B (Poster) on Tuesday   in  Chaired by
Authors:
  Presenting Author:   Dr Alessandro Ubbiali - H San Raffaele Turro, Italy
 
  Additional Authors:  Dr Deborah Donati, Dr Carlo Chiorri, Dr Valentina Bregani, Dr Elisabetta Cattaneo, Dr Raffaele Visintini,  
Aim:
There is a large amount of pervious studies on HIV+ subjects carried out in order to investigate factors helpful for predicting adherence to anti-retroviral therapy. The majority of the research literature focused on the manifest behaviour of the subjects with respect to therapy and therefore assessed the association among evident subjects variables and their adherence to the treatment prescriptions. Furthermore, no definitively convincing results were observed by considering the presence/absence of any psychiatric or personality diagnosis in HIV+ people. Starting from these considerations this pilot study tried to identify some psychological characteristics involved in the adherence phenomenon and, specifically, to assess the possible role played by gender differences in HIV condition perception and adherence to anti-retroviral therapies.
 
Method / Issue:
A self-administered battery of tests including a Socio-demographic Schedule, a Questionnaire on Anti-retroviral therapy Taking (QUF), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Form C (MHLC-C), was administered to 478 HIV+ subjects. By choosing as cut-off issue the 95% of correct therapy assumption during the last month, the total sample of subject was then divided into four subgroups: Adherent Males 202(42.3%), Non-Adherent Males 140(29.3%), Adherent Females 66(13.8%), and Non-Adherent Females 70(14.6%), Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVAs) were used to control on the associations between Sex and Adherence as fixed factors and the following sets of dependent variables: the five ASQ scales and the four MHLC-C scales.
 
Results / Comments:
The results of the present pilot study showed significant differences between non adherent vs. adherent males and non adherent vs. adherent females. In particular non-adherent Males seemed to be characterized by a psychological profile fewer focused on relational aspects [ASQ Relationship as Secondary: Non-adherent Males vs. Adherent Males (18.4 6.1 vs. 16.7 6.2; p = .014)], on the perceived relevance of physicians [MHLC-C Doctors: Non-adherent Males vs. Adherent Males (15.0 3.1 vs. 16.0 4.9; p = .025)] and of significant other people [MHLC-C Other People: Non-adherent Males vs. Adherent Males (9.1 3.0 vs. 10.1 3.5; p = .010)]. In a different way, non-adherent Females seemed to be characterized by a psychological profile more relationship-oriented [ASQ Need for Approval: Non-adherent Females vs. Adherent Females (22.1 7.9 vs. 18.5 6.7; p = .003)] and [ASQ Preoccupation with Relationships: Non-adherent Females vs. Adherent Females (30.3 7.8 vs. 27.7 7.3; p = .036)].
 
Discussion:
The results of this pilot study, even considering its limitations (i.e. different size of males and females samples, lack of personality assessment and difficulties for the subjects to explicit their sexual orientation), could stimulate the further considerations on the opportunity to plan specific supportive interventions aimed to increase the adherence to anti-retroviral therapies by taking into account even the possible differences in perceiving the HIV+ condition in males and females subjects.
 
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