Relationship of social support and quality of life among persons infected with HIV

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between social support and quality of life among persons infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). An exploratory, survey design was used to obtain subjects from an outpatient clinic in an urban area of the Southwest. Eighty-nine HIV-infected subjects completed a demographic data sheet, the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). Subjects in heterosexual and homosexual male groups had NSSQ and SIP scores which indicated that social support positively affected quality of life, while heterosexual females had high social support scores, but low quality of life indexes. HIV-infected individuals had a greater disruption in psychosocial aspects of life than in physical aspects. A positive relationship between perceived health status and quality of life was found. There was also a significant relationship between social support and ethnicity.