Family Functioning of HIV-Seropositive Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria

Combined Antiretroviral therapy has markedly reduced HIV-related death. The life expectancy of PLHIV is now similar to that of the general population. Psychosocial and socioeconomic supports, best obtained from the family members, is a major determinant of quality of life (QOL) of PLHIV. This study assessed the family functioning of patients attending ART clinic of Irrua Specialist Teaching hospital, Irrua, as a measurement of their accessible family support and their satisfaction with their family. A descriptive cross-sectional study design in which 230 consenting PLHIV attending ART Clinic in ISTH, Edo State, Nigeria were systematically selected. A structured questionnaire for sociodemographic and clinical profiles of participants, Smilkstein’s Family System Apgar Questionnaire, and WHOQOL-HIVBREF was used for data collection. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 20.0. Two hundred and sixteen (93.9%) of the participants had functional family. The QOL of the participants is strongly dependent on their family functioning in all QOL domains, except the spiritual/Religious/Personal belief domain. The family functioning is not affected by Gender, Age, HIV-status of partners, level of education or the WHO clinical stage of the participants. The only factor significantly affecting the family functioning of the participants is their marital status. Participants who are married or cohabiting had better family functioning than others. Healthcare provider in care of PLHIV should mandatorily look into the psychosocial life, especially the family functioning of their clients. The family functioning of these patients determined their QOL and other outcomes. They should be encourage to married or abide in their marriage as those who are married had better family functioning.