Social support and posttraumatic growth in a longitudinal study of people living with HIV: the mediating role of positive affect

Background: Psychological research in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been dominated by studies on the negative consequences of HIV infection. However, recently, positive changes following the diagnosis of HIV have been examined, namely the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Objectives: The aim of this one-year longitudinal study was to investigate the level of PTG and its relationship with social support dimensions (perceived support, need for support, actually received support) and positive and negative affect among PLWH. Specifically, this study explored the mediating role of positive and negative affect in the link between social support and PTG. Method: Participants filled out the following psychometric tools: Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X). Three assessments were performed. Altogether, 129 patients were recruited for the first assessment, 106 patients participated in the second assessment and 82 participants (63.6%) out of the initial sample of 129 participated in all three assessments. Results: The positive relationship between all examined social support dimensions and PTG was entirely mediated by positive affect. There was no association between negative affect and PTG. Selected socio-medical covariates (sex, employment, higher education, being in a stable relationship and HIV/AIDS status) were related to social support and PTG among participants. Conclusions: This study points to the need for more research on positive aspects of HIV/AIDS, notably PTG. More specifically, interventions focused on enhancement and sustainment of positive affect among PLWH should be an adjunct to traditional mental health screening among this patient group.