![]() ![]() Given the well-documented association between higher maternal HIV viral load and higher likelihood of infant HIV diagnosis, understanding the role of empathy and partner empathy - within the medical, social, economic, and cultural setting of rural Mozambique – on retention in care, adherence to treatment, and maternal-to-child transmission among PLWH is essential to decreasing HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in Mozambique and globally. In Zambézia Province, Mozambique, HIV prevalence is estimated to be 15% within the general population, with higher estimated rates in pregnant women. Registered May 11, 2017.Īs of 2017, there were 36.9 million people living with HIV (PLWH) globally, 19.6 million of whom lived within Eastern and Southern sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study is within the context of the HoPS+ trial, registered at as number NCT03149237. Furthermore, this scale can be adapted for other sub-Saharan African populations, which will allow researchers to better assess HIV-related intervention efficacy. This scale will allow us to assess the interplay between empathy and other psychometric constructs (stigma, social support, etc.) in the HoPS+ trial and how each relates to retention in HIV, adherence to treatment, and prevention of maternal to child HIV transmission. This two-subscale, 13-item version of the IRI measures cognitive and affective empathy in HoPS+ trial participants and adults while accounting for the interdependent nature of empathy within partner dyads. More educated participants had higher affective empathy ( p: 0.017) and depressed participants had higher cognitive empathy ( p: < 0.001). We observed higher cognitive ( p: 0.012) and affective ( p: 0.049) empathy among males and higher cognitive ( p: 0.031) and affective ( p: 0.030) empathy among younger participants. The dyadic CFA found acceptable model fit and metric invariance across partners (Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.914, Tucker Lewis Index = 0.904, Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation = 0.056, ΔCFI = 0.011). We found two subscales: 1) a seven-item cognitive empathy subscale (Cronbach’s alpha 0.78) and 2) a six-item affective empathy subscale (Cronbach’s alpha 0.73). Finally, we assessed the relationship between scores on our final scale and basic demographic characteristics (sex, age, education, and depression) using t-tests. Because empathy is interdependent among couples, we validated the results of the exploratory factor analysis using a dyadic confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with dyadic measurement invariance testing. Using baseline data from 1332 HoPS+ trial participants (666 couples), an exploratory factor analysis assessed culturally relevant questions from the IRI. We adapted the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) – an empathy scale – among seroconcordant expectant couples with HIV in the Homens para Saúde Mais (HoPS+) trial – a cluster randomized controlled trial assessing couple-based versus individual treatment on viral suppression – in Zambézia Province, Mozambique. The ability to understand another’s emotions and act appropriately, empathy, is an important mediator of relationship function and health intervention fidelity. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |