Disclosure of HIV / AIDS diagnosis and its psychosocial impacts

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the clinical presentation of immunological deficiency caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The disclosure of this diagnosis is a communication that deeply affects the lives of the people involved, both professionals and patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the disclosure of the HIV / AIDS diagnosis, considering its psychosocial, affective and neurocognitive impacts. METHODS: To understand the communicational process, collective health studies were used and psychological impacts were analyzed in the light of Donald Winnicott's psychoanalytic concepts. The methodology is exploratory and descriptive, with a mixed approach and a qualitative predominance. The instruments for data collection were: patient record; semi-structured interview, which compared stages of the SPIKES Protocol; the Mini Mental State Examination and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Content analysis was carried out in ten interviews, referenced in Laurence Bardin. RESULTS AND FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The results showed that the communication of the diagnosis had several psychosocial impacts on the subjects and the reception based on the principles of the SPIKES protocol proved to be an excellent foundation for diagnostic communication, especially when associated with sufficiently good environmental arrangements, such as family support and access to information. thus promoting greater adherence to treatment.