Influence of age and gender on the psychological well–being of people with HIV/AIDS

Abstract

The study explored the influence of age and gender on the psychological well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. Using a cross-sectional design, two hundred males and females drawn from Polokwane/Mankweng Hospital complex in Limpopo Province, South Africa, participated in the study. Participants were women 124 (62%) and men 75 (37, 5%) with ages ranging from 20 to 71 years with a mean age of 43.70 (SD = 12.42). Data were collected using a questionnaire that measured the demographic variables and psychological well-being. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed a significant influence of age F (4, 198) = 2,361; p < .05 on psychological well-being but there was no significant influence of gender on psychological well-being. The finding of the study concluded that age influence the psychological well-being of PLWHA. It is therefore recommended that social support groups' intervention accommodates different age and gender groups.