Care Eliciting Behavior clinical trials

Buddhism Beliefs and HIV Stigma in Thailand

Thailand remains one of the countries with the largest population of people living with HIV (PLWH). It is estimated that 30 Thai provinces account for 75% of the HIV infections in that country, with ChiangMai as the most prevalent province in northern Thailand. Also, HIV/AIDS remains among the top 10 most common causes of death in Thailand. This high mortality rate may be partially explained by the notable HIV treatment cascade in Thailand: Among all the Thai PLWH, only 74% were retained in care, while 68% received ART, and roughly 50% reached viral suppression. An important reason for this is that HIV-related stigma still poses significant barriers for Thai PLWH to access healthcare and carry out health-protective behaviors, including adherence to medication schedules, to manage their HIV. In Thailand, substance use, including use of tobacco, alcohol, and other emerging recreational drugs, is a pressing health concern. In the HIV+ population in Thailand, it was found that 15% use tobacco, 70% use alcohol, and 2% use recreational drugs. In addition, among Thai HIV+ alcohol drinkers, about 13%-22% were heavy drinkers and 40% had sex under the influence of alcohol. Although the literature evaluating prevalence of substance use among Thai HIV+ individuals is emerging, the knowledge remains very limited regarding their risk and protective factors for substance use. Self-management interventions, typically include training modules for symptom management skills and coping strategies. In Buddhist-Thai culture, the goal of self-management may become assisting PLWH to find the peace and harmony within themselves by gradually "letting go" of those strong desires for certain materials or status that contribute to the uncertainty in lives. Therefore, this project aims to further the investigator's knowledge about self-management behaviors in HIV+ substance users in the context of Buddhist-Thai culture. The investigator aims to: 1. Explore how PLWH experience and interpret substance use, mental health, and self-management and identify key social-cultural factors that influence these factors. 2. Test the associations among mental health, substance use, self-management, health outcomes and selected key social-cultural factors among PLWH using a partial correlation network model. The results will be used for development of a culturally tailored, evidence-based self-management intervention to promote better health outcomes among Thai PLWH.