The Effect of Telephone Support on Depressive Symptoms Among HIV-Infected Pregnant Women in Thailand: An Embedded Mixed Methods Study

• Published in: The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. e13 - e24
• Main Authors: Ross, Ratchneewan, Sawatphanit, Wilaiphan, Suwansujarid, Tatirat, Stidham, Andrea W., Drew, Barbara L., Creswell, John W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2013; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Cost benefit analysis; Depression; Depression - complications; Depression - psychology; Depression - therapy; embedded mixed methods; Female; Health behavior; HIV; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Intervention; Interviews as Topic; Mental depression; Nursing; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Pregnant Women - psychology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Qualitative Research; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telephone; telephone support; Telephones; Thailand; Womens health; Young Adult; Thailand; pregnant women; HIV; embedded mixed methods; Thailand; telephone support
• ISSN: 1055-3290; 1552-6917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jana.2012.08.005

Depressive symptoms negatively impact the lives of HIV-infected individuals and are correlated with faster progression to AIDS. Our embedded mixed methods study examined and described the effects of telephone support on depressive symptoms in a sample of HIV-infected pregnant Thai women. HIV-infected pregnant Thai women (n = 40) were randomly assigned to either the control or the intervention group. A registered nurse provided telephone support to the intervention group. Depressive symptoms were measured at three points in both groups. In-depth interviews were conducted at Time 2 and Time 3. Results show that depressive symptoms in the intervention group decreased over time. Qualitative results describe how telephone support can work, but also reveal that telephone support did not work for everyone. We recommend that a larger mixed methods study be conducted to examine the effects of telephone support on depressive symptoms among HIV-infected women, including the costs and benefits of such support.