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
. 2022 May 30;19(11):6668.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116668.

Psychological and Social Impact of HIV on Women Living with HIV and Their Families in Low- and Middle-Income Asian Countries: A Systematic Search and Critical Review

Nelsensius Klau Fauk  1   2 , Lillian Mwanri  1 , Karen Hawke  3 , Leila Mohammadi  4 , Paul Russell Ward  1
Affiliations

Psychological and Social Impact of HIV on Women Living with HIV and Their Families in Low- and Middle-Income Asian Countries: A Systematic Search and Critical Review

Nelsensius Klau Fauk et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection adds a significant burden to women in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), often leading to severe detrimental impact, not only on themselves, but also on their families and communities. Given that more than half of all people living with HIV globally are females (53%), this review seeks to understand the psychological and social impact of HIV infection on Women Living with HIV (WLHIV) and their families in LMICs in Asia, and the interrelationships between one impact and another. A systematic review was conducted to find literature using the following databases: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAL, Emcare, Scopus and ProQuest. Research articles included in this review were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: conducted in LMICs in Asia, published in English language between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2021, had full text available, involved WLHIV (married and unmarried) and explored the psychological and social impacts of HIV on these women and their families. Critical appraisal tools developed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies, and thematic narrative synthesis was used to analyse the findings. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. The review showed that HIV has a range of negative psychological consequences on WLHIV, such as stress, fear, worry, anxiety and depression, as well as social impacts on the women and their families, including stigma, discrimination and family separation. The findings indicate the need for targeted interventions-specific to WLHIV-that address the psychological challenges, stigma and discrimination these women and their families face. These interventions should also incorporate education and sustainable support structures for WLHIV and their families.

Keywords: Asia; HIV-affected families; WLHIV; low- and middle-income countries; psychological and social impact.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow diagram of systematic literature search: records identified, screened, eligible and included in the review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A simplified conceptual model for the psychological and social impacts of HIV on individuals and families.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNAIDS UNAIDS Data Geneva, Switzerland: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. [(accessed on 20 December 2020)]. Available online: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2020_aids-data-bo....
    1. UNAIDS Global HIV & AIDS Statistics—Fact Sheet. Geneva, Switzerland: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. [(accessed on 5 November 2021)]. Available online: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet.
    1. Ashaba S., Kaida A., Coleman J., Burns B.F., Dunkley E., O’Neil K., Kastner J., Sanyu N., Akatukwasa C., Bangsberg D.R., et al. Psychosocial challenges facing women living with HIV during the perinatal period in rural Uganda. PLoS ONE. 2017;12:e0176256. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176256. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Halli S.S., Khan C.G.H., Moses S., Blanchard J., Washington R., Shah I., Isac S. Family and community level stigma and discrimination among women living with HIV/AIDS in a high HIV prevalence district of India. J. HIV/AIDS Soc. Serv. 2017;16:4–19. doi: 10.1080/15381501.2015.1107798. - DOI
    1. Local Burden of Disease HIV Collaborators Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems. BMC Med. 2021;19:4. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types