The role of social support among people living with HIV in rural Mozambique.

ABSTRACT

A Positive Health, Dignity, and Prevention framework is being implemented in Mozambique to maintain the health of persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and prevent onward HIV transmission. An important intervention component is psycho-social support. However, coordinating support services has been challenging. Seventy in-depth individual interviews were conducted with PLHIV between January and June 2010 in three rural provinces to clarify the receipt and provision of support by PLHIV. Thematic coding and analysis were conducted to identify salient responses. PLHIV reported that the majority of social support received was instrumental, followed by emotional and informational support. Instrumental support included material, medical, and financial assistance. Emotional support was mentioned less frequently and was supplied most by family and friends. PLHIV also received informational support from a variety of sources, the most common being family members. Informational support from health providers was rarely mentioned, but this advice was valued and used to educate others. Although most participants described receiving social support from many sources, there were consistently identified needs. This study revealed that social support is central in the lives of PLHIV and identified areas where social support can be improved to better respond to the needs of PLHIV in the Mozambican context.