Hopelessness in PL-HIV

Hope is an important factor in the life of PL-HIV (People Living with Human Immuno deficiency Virus) which influences all other factors of life. The study on ‘Hopelessness in PL-HIV’ was carried out in 2 NGOs in Ooty, the Nilgiris District. Fifty eight PL-HIV registered under the two NGOs were screened using the Beck's Hopelessness Scale. Forty-Six PL-HIV with high Hopelessness were selected for the study by Convenience Sampling Method. They were 18 male and 28 female PL-HIV between the age range of 20–54 years(Mage=37.46). Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, a psychological intervention was given to each sample individually 2 days a week for 16 weeks. On the whole, 32 sessions were given to the entire sample. The duration of each session was 45 minutes to 1 hour. After 16 weeks of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, the entiresample was re-assessed using the Beck's Hopelessness Scale. The experimental design used was ‘Assessment before and after treatment without control group’. Initially, before treatment both male and female PL- HIV had high hopelessness with male M= 15.78 and female M= 16.96. The therapy showed reduction in the level of hopelessness with the mean of male M= 7.83 and female M= 6.50. The mean difference in hopelessness between male and female PL-HIV was 7.75. ANOVA test showed that the psychological intervention of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy played a vital role in dealing with Hopelessness in PL-HIV.