Influences of social support on the adherence of HIV/AIDS patients to their therapeutic regimen: an integrative review

Objective: to analyze scientific evidence about the influence of social support on the adherence to the therapeutic regimen by people with HIV/AIDS. Methods: integrative review on the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science and SCOPUS, based on the acronym PICo, where P: person living with HIV/AIDS; I: social support; C: adherence to the therapeutic regimen. Results: 364 were found and 19 were selected. Research showed that a lack of social support from nurses and other health workers, significant others/family, neighbors, friends and community leads to a decrease or to the non-adherence to the therapeutic regimen. Conclusion: people who live with HIV/AIDS and perceive they have effective social support, have fewer depressive symptoms and risk behaviors, in addition to a better adherence to the therapeutic regimen. Contributions to practice: this study contributes for health workers, especially nurses who care for HIV/AIDS patients, to recognize the relevance of increasing their knowledge about social network support, in order to involve these networks in the care planning and improve adherence to the therapeutic regime, improving mental health.