Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Social Support and Quality of Life Among People Living with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing greatly impacted quality of life, in part, by disrupting access to social support. We examined the relationship between social support and quality of life among people living with HIV (PWH) who participated in a cross-sectional survey during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating differences in this relationship by age and gender.Materials and Methods: Between August 2020 and March 2021, 397 PWH completed an online Research Electronic Data Capture survey. Social support was assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the EuroQol EQ-5D-3L. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between social support and quality of life, and interaction terms were used to assess effect modification by age and gender.Results: Higher levels of social support were associated with higher self-rated quality of life (adjusted beta = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.002, 2.10). This association was moderated by gender, with males having higher HRQoL (adjusted beta = 24.5, 95% CI 10.5, 38.6) and a lower slope for the relationship between social support and HRQoL (adjusted beta = -0.28, 95% CI -0.50, -0.06) than females. Age did not moderate the relationship between social support and quality of life, but higher age was associated with lower quality of life (adjusted beta = -0.18, 95% CI -0.31, -0.05).Conclusion: Higher levels of social support were associated with better quality of life for PWH during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for women. Our findings suggest that women may be more sensitive to large-scale interruptions in their social support networks than men.