Religiosity and spirituality in HIV/AIDS: association with disease perception, coping strategies and medication adherence.
HIV/AIDS; Religiosity; Spirituality; Perception of disease; Coping strategies; Medication adherence.
The influence of religiosity/spirituality of people living with HIV/AIDS on their health threatening beliefs, coping styles and adherence to antiretroviral therapy is still poorly known and therefore needs further investigation. Thus, the aim of this research will be to analyze the associations between religious/spiritual experiences and practices and the religious/spiritual coping strategies of HIV-positive individuals, as well as between them, and measures of illness perception and adherence to antiretroviral medication. The main theoretical bases of the study will be the behavioral self-regulation model proposed by Howard Leventhal et al., the stress and coping transactional model, developed by Lazarus and Folkman, and the treatment adherence theory, composed by Leventhal and Cameron. The study will count on the participation of users, diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, who are being accompanied in one of two outpatient care services of a public university hospital located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, who are at least 18 years old and undergoing treatment to control the disease infection for at least three months. The study design will be cross-sectional and correlational. Participants will answer the following instruments: Sociodemographic and Medical Clinical Questionnaire, Disease Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ), Abbreviated Spiritual Religious Coping Scale (CRE-Brief), Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Questionnaire (CEAT-HIV), and Duke Religiousness Index Scale (DUREL). Descriptive statistical analysis (frequencies and averages) and Pearson correlation analysis will be performed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. It is expected that this study will contribute to a better understanding of the care needed for seropositive individuals, from a greater understanding of the relationship between the constructs under analysis.