Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Sep-Oct;25(5):405-13.
doi: 10.1016/j.jana.2013.12.002. Epub 2014 Feb 6.

Social support as a predictor of early diagnosis, linkage, retention, and adherence to HIV care: results from the steps study

J Daniel Kelly, Christine Hartman, James Graham, Michael A Kallen, Thomas P Giordano

Social support as a predictor of early diagnosis, linkage, retention, and adherence to HIV care: results from the steps study

J Daniel Kelly et al. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2014 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Social support predicts adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in some settings but has not been well studied in persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection as a predictor of success through the cascade of HIV care. One hundred sixty-eight persons newly diagnosed with HIV completed the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey at diagnosis, and 129 were successfully followed for more than 12 months. Outcomes were earlier diagnosis of HIV infection, linkage to care, retention in care, ART use by 1 year, and adherence to ART. Higher social support scores (either overall or on a subscale) were associated with earlier HIV diagnosis, timely linkage to care, and adherence to ART. Social support did not predict use of ART or retention in HIV care. Success navigating some of the steps of HIV care is more likely with social support, but it is not sufficient to ensure success across the continuum of care.

Keywords: HIV; adherence; public health; retention in care; social support.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors report no real or perceived vested interests that relate to this article that could be construed as a conflict of interest. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.

References

    1. Anthony MN, Gardner L, Marks G, Anderson-Mahoney P, Metsch LR, Valverde EE, Loughlin AM. Factors associated with use of HIV primary care among persons recently diagnosed with HIV: Examination of variables from the behavioural model of health-care utilization. AIDS Care. 2007;19(2):195–202. doi: 10.1080/09540120600966182. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Atkinson JS, Schonnesson LN, Williams ML, Timpson SC. Associations among correlates of schedule adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART): A path analysis of a sample of crack cocaine using sexually active African-Americans with HIV infection. AIDS Care. 2008;20(2):253–262. doi: 10.1080/09540120701506788. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bangsberg DR, Ragland K, Monk A, Deeks SG. A single tablet regimen is associated with higher adherence and viral suppression than multiple tablet regimens in HIV+ homeless and marginally housed people. AIDS. 2010;24(18):2835–2840. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e328340a209. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bell C, Metsch LR, Vogenthaler N, Cardenas G, Rodriguez A, Locascio V, del Rio C. Never in care: Characteristics of HIV-infected crack cocaine users in 2 US cities who have never been to outpatient HIV care. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 2010;54(4):376–380. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181d01d31. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhatia R, Hartman C, Kallen MA, Graham J, Giordano TP. Persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection are at high risk for depression and poor linkage to care: Results from the Steps Study. AIDS and Behavior. 2011;15(6):1161–1170. doi: 10.1007/s10461-010-9778-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types