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Does Posttraumatic Growth Buffer the Association Between Death Anxiety and Quality of Life Among People living with HIV/AIDS?

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Abstract

People living with HIV (PLWH) may experience death anxiety (DA), which can be detrimental to quality of life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), however, is antithetical to DA, with its positive attributes at odds with negative psychosocial outcomes. Previous research has not examined the buffering effect of PTG on the association between DA and quality of life. Therefore, in addition to the direct effects of DA and PTG on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), we investigated the moderating role of PTG on the relationship between DA and HRQoL among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Nigeria. Using cross-sectional design and availability sampling method, we selected 201 outpatients (men, n = 63, 31.3%, women, n = 138, 68.7%, mean age = 40.1, SD = 10.5) managed for HIV/AIDS in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare institution. Death Anxiety Inventory-Revised, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form, and Patient-Reported Outcome Quality of Life-HIV were used to access DA, PTG and HRQoL, respectively. Results showed that while adjusting for socio-demographic factors (age, gender, time since diagnosis and educational status), DA was associated with physical health, mental health and social relationships domains of HRQoL as well as overall HRQoL. In contrast, PTG did not evidence significant association with HRQoL dimensions and overall HRQoL. The moderation effect of PTG on the association between DA and HRQoL was not supported. Independent of PTG, alleviating DA may be an important target in terms of therapeutic intervention towards improving quality life of PLWH.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all the participants who volunteered to take part in the study. It would not have been possible to conduct this study without their co-operation. We thank Tochukwu Charles Orjiakor for his suggestions and assistance in conducting the study. Thanks to Martin Duracinsky for providing us with PROQOL-HIV.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 41000, Enugu State, Nigeria

    Desmond Uchechukwu Onu, Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi & JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji

  2. Department of Psychology, College of Sciences and the Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA

    JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji

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  1. Desmond Uchechukwu Onu
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Onu, D.U., Ifeagwazi, C.M. & Chukwuorji, J.C. Does Posttraumatic Growth Buffer the Association Between Death Anxiety and Quality of Life Among People living with HIV/AIDS?. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 28, 229–238 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-020-09708-6

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