Improving the Quality of Life of People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Cross‑Sectional Study of the Role of Religion

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have found religion as a useful tool in coping with chronic medical conditions including HIV/AIDS. Aim: This study assessed how religiosity and religious coping are associated with quality of life (QOL) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Patients and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study of 140 HIV clinic attendees of a Nigerian tertiary health facility. Religiosity, religious coping and QOL were measured with religious orientation scale‑revised (ROS‑R), Brief Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE) and World Health Organization Quality of Life‑Bref (WHOQOL‑BREF), respectively. Correlation analysis assessed the relationship between ROS‑R, Brief RCOPE and WHOQOL‑BREF. Results: Intrinsic religiosity (IR) scores had a moderate positive correlation with psychological health domain of QOL (r = 0.4, N = 140, and P 0.001), and a weak positive correlation with physical health domain of QOL (r = 0.2, N = 140, and P 0.05). Extrinsic religiosity (ER) scores moderately correlated positively with the psychological health domain of QOL (r = 0.03, N = 140, and P 0.002), but weakly correlated positively with the physical health domain (r = 0.2, N = 140, and P 0.02). Positive religious coping (PRC) scores moderately correlated positively with the psychological health domain (r = 0.03, N = 140, and P 0.05) and weakly correlated positively with physical health domain of QOL (r = 0.2, N = 140, and P 0.02). Extrinsic religiosity social (ERS) scores had a moderate positive correlation with the social relationships domain (r = 0.4, N = 140, P 0.001). Conclusion: Increased ER, IR orientations and Positive Religious Coping appear to improve the psychological and physical health domains ofQOL QOL Therefore, religiosity should be encouraged among PLWHA to improve QOL.