Caregiver Burden among Adults Caring For People Living With HIV/AIDS in Mysuru

Abstract

National Aids Control Organization (NACO) annual report 2016-17, as per the India HIV Estimation 2015 report, adult (15-49 years) HIV prevalence in India was estimated at 0.26% in 2015. In 2015, adult HIV prevalence was estimated at 0.30% among males and at 0.22 % among females.  The number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in India was estimated at 21.17 Lakhs in 2015 compared with 22.26 Lakhs in 2007. They may have a large psychological, physical and social impact on infected individuals and their families.  People living with HIV rely on relatives for emotional support and economic assistance.  Family or caregivers experience enormous physical emotional burden while caring for such relatives.  The present investigation aims at finding out the level of burden and whether gender and domicile has any influence on burden in caregivers.  The sample consists of 80 caregivers (40 male 40 female) they were selected from K R Hospital ART centre, Mysore.  Result reveals that female caregivers experience high burden compare to male caregivers and rural caregivers have high burden compare to urban caregivers. The study discusses the implications for the need of intervention for the caregivers of HIV to improve their mental health.