Existential Gratitude in People Living with HIV (PLWH): Does Social Support Matter?

Abstract

People Living with HIV (PLWH) often experience medical and psychological problems. Applying existential gratitude is a way to address all psychological problems. Existential gratitude is the concept of gratitude for the destiny that occurs in life, even though it is unpleasant. This study examines social support's effect on existential gratitude in PLWH in DKI Jakarta. Two hundred and ten respondents were obtained using the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using the Existential Gratitude Scale (EGS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Data were analyzed using simple linear regression techniques with the help of SPSS 24.00. The results showed that social support significantly affects existential gratitude among PLWH in DKI Jakarta province, with a contribution of 6.1 percent (R2=0.061, p=0.00). This study also found that social support from other significant (which comes from health workers) has the highest correlation with existential gratitude. This study has implications for increasing social support from family, friends, and health workers to improve the quality of life and well-being of PLWH.