Spirituality and its association with immune status, medication adherence and quality of life among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients attending antiretroviral clinic in a tertiary institution Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Spirituality has been recognized as a vital social factor influencing public health, parcularly in the context of HIV/AIDS. This study aimed to assess spirituality and its associaon with immune status, medicaon adherence and quality of life among adult paents living with HIV/AIDS
Materials and method: This were a hospital-based cross-seconal study. Spirituality, CD4 count, medicaon adherence and quality of life were assessed among 412 adult HIV-posive paents aending the anretroviral clinic recruited by systemac random sampling method. A correlaonal analysis was used to test for associaon between connuous variables. Stascal significance was set at P <0.05.
Results: There was a significant and increasing posive correlaon (r =0.24, p = 0.001; r=0.49, p = 0.001; r =0.73, p = 0.001) between Funconal Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp) scores and CD4+ count. There was a posive but weak correlaon between FACIT-Sp scores and the mean medicaon adherence (r = 0.36, p = 0.045, r = 0.25, p = 0.001). There was also a significant and increasing posive correlaon between FACIT-Sp scores and the quality of life of the parcipants (r = 0.71, p = 0.001, r = 0.73, p = 0.001, r = 0.72 p= 0.001, r =0.69 p= 0.001, r =0.67 p= 0.001, r =0.74, p =0.001, r =0.71 p=0.001).
Conclusion: Spirituality was posively associated with the immune status, medicaon adherence and quality of life of HIV- posive adults in this study. Roune spiritual assessment is recommended as part of the healthcare services offered to HIV-posive adults.