Stress and resilience among women living with HIV in Nigeria

Psychological morbidities concurrent with HIV have been the focus of considerable scientific investigations. However, researchers have largely overlooked HIV-related stress and resilience among women living with HIV in rural communities. This study explored the associations between psychological resilience and HIV-related stress among women living with HIV. The study was conducted in three randomly selected hospitals that provide primary HIV care in Niger state, Nigeria. A predictive cross-sectional design was used to describe the relationship between perceived stress and resilience among the study population. Out of 748 participants who completed the Connor-Davidson resilience scale and the perceived stress scale questionnaires, 676 returned the questionnaire in usable form. While the results showed moderate levels of perceived stress and a high level of psychological resilience, there was a significant and negative relationship between HIV-related stress and psychological resilience (r = -0.601, p = 0.001). Also, higher resilience was significantly associated with decreased perceived stress. It is concluded that measures to promote resilience and employment opportunity may ameliorate HIV-related stress among women living with HIV.