Resumen de Self-Compassion and Risk Behavior Among People Living With HIV/AIDS

C. Dawson Rose, A. Webel, Kathleen M. Sullivan, Yvette P Cuca, D. Wantland, Mallory O Johnson, J. Brion, Carmen J. Portillo, I.B. Corless, Joachim Voss, Wei-Ti Chen, J. Craig Phillips, L. Tyer-Viola, Marta Rivero Méndez, Patrice K Nicholas, K. Nokes, Jeanne Kemppainen, E. Sefcik, Lucille Sanzero Eller, S. Iipinge, K. Kirksey, P. Chaiphibalsarisdi, Nancy Davila, Mary Jane Hamilton, Dorothy Hickey, Mary Maryland, P. Reid, W.L Holzemer

• Sexual risk behavior and illicit drug use among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) contribute to poor health and onward transmission of HIV. The aim of this collaborative multi-site nursing research study was to explore the association between self-compassion and risk behaviors in PLWHA. As part of a larger project, nurse researchers in Canada, China, Namibia, Puerto Rico, Thailand and the US enrolled 1211 sexually active PLWHA using convenience sampling. The majority of the sample was male, middle-aged, and from the US. Illicit drug use was strongly associated with sexual risk behavior, but participants with higher self-compassion were less likely to report sexual risk behavior, even in the presence of illicit drug use. Self-compassion may be a novel area for behavioral intervention development for PLWHA.