Roles of family dynamics on adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV/AIDS at a tertiary hospital in Osogbo, south-west Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been proven to be the only effective treatment for HIV/AIDS worldwide. Good adherence to HAART might require good family support. OBJECTIVE To determine the family dynamics and social support of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and its roles on HAART adherence at an ARV treatment clinic in Osogbo, Nigeria. METHOD Descriptive cross-sectional study. Consenting PLWHA on HAART were interviewed using pre-tested semistructured questionnaire incorporating Perceived Social Support- Family Scale and Family APGAR. HAART adherence was measured using patient self report. RESULTS A total of 379 PLWHA were interviewed. Their mean age was 40.8 (SD=9.9) years. Most (60.7%) were females. More than half (55.7%) were currently married and the majority (72.1%) had secondary education and were Yoruba (86.3%). Most respondents (95.5%) were adherent to HAART. Over 90% were satisfied with support received from their family while 82.3% were treated like other family members. Most attributed their HAART adherence to the care and support received from their family. CONCLUSION Most PLWHA had good social support and were adherent to HAART.