Psychological features of rehabilitation of HIV-infected patients

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the major medical problems in the world. For almost forty years, it has had catastrophic effects on the body of infected people with variable pathogenesis of mortality. The purpose of the work is to analyse the importance of psychological assistance for the social adaptation of HIV-infected patients. Materials and methods: The empirical basis of the study was the analysis of 30 medical records of inpatients. The majority were patients of working age, namely 25 people (83.3%), while the average age of the patients was (28.5±5.5) years old. During the study, patients were divided into groups depending on the receipt of psychological help, psychoemotional disorders, and signs of social maladjustment. Results: The first group of patients consisted of 10 (33.3%) patients who refused psychological help. The second group, namely 20 (66.7%) patients, consisted of patients who received psychological help immediately after the diagnosis of HIV infection and had milder disorders. During the research, a set of methods was used: clinical and anamnestic method; to assess the presence of depression in patients, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used; the Spielberger-Khanin anxiety questionnaire was used to determine the level of anxiety in patients; patients' adherence to treatment was determined using the Morisky-Goin compliance assessment scale. Conclusions: The issue of adaptation of HIV-infected patients in society is a significant problem caused by the low level of awareness of HIV infection and the ways of its transmission. The obtained results indicate the need for psychological assistance to HIV-infected persons at every stage, both at the time of the announcement of the diagnosis (prevention of the development of depression, suicidal intentions), and during drug treatment (debriefing of the methodology, creation of peer-to-peer support groups), thanks to which the social adaptation of patients and the effectiveness of medical treatment are accelerated.