Quality of life in HIV/AIDS patients
Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010) authored an article, “Quality of life in HIV/AIDS”, which focused on the impact of AIDS on the quality of life of an individual. Non-normative events are unanticipated or sudden happenings such as diseases and earthquakes. Normally, any non-normative event always affects the quality of life of a person because of the psychological stress that it causes. In this case, a summary of this article is presented to show how a sudden and unanticipated disease, particularly HIV/AIDS normally impacts on the quality of life of an individual.
The authors, Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010), begin their article by acknowledging the fact that the quality of life of a person has become an important medical outcome measure. The main purpose of this article is to establish the impact of HIV infection on the various variables of quality of a person's life, which includes their physical and emotional well-being.
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Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010) provide the context of their by first describing the meaning of quality of life. According to Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010), quality of life is a term that is applied in referring to a general sense of well-being. The quality of life entails things like happiness from the satisfaction of life. The quality of life is normally about a person's perception regarding their position of life. This perception may be regarding the culture as well as value systems within which they live relative to personal goals, standards and expectations about the future.
In addition, Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010) inform readers that with the advancement in the clinical tests as well as interventions for HIV/AIDS disease patients, their survival ability has significantly increased hence the quality of life has remained the only effective point of focus for the researchers and the medical practitioners. It is important to note the fact that, being a non-normative event in a person's life, HIV/AIDS causes huge depression to a person immediately they are diagnosed with it. People who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS normally experience a change in their lives and the resultant psychologically stress affects their physical as well as emotional well-being. The kind of happiness a person had before being diagnosed with this disease normally goes after the diagnosis is done and they realize they are positive. It takes a very long time for one to accept their condition. Before this acceptance, a lot of damage is done on an individual's emotional well-being. The patients normally have to struggle with stressful outcomes such as stigma, which adversely affects their quality of life. Basavaraj, Navya and Rashmi (2010) conclude that HIV/AIDS causes a significant change in a person's quality of life because the great depression that causes their lives to change suddenly and unexpectedly.
Valenti and Masedu (2013) developed an article under the title, “A longitudinal study of quality of life of earthquake survivors in L'Aquila, Italy”, which was focused on the impact of an earthquake on the quality of life. The dimension of quality of life considered by Valenti and Masedu is the general well-being of the victims of an earthquake. This study takes a specific example of the victims of the earthquake, which happened in L'Aquila, Italy. As defined earlier, non-normative events are sudden and unexpected. An earthquake is a typical example of a non-normative event. This part of the paper presents a summary of the main points in this article regarding the impact of earthquakes on the quality of life.
Valenti and Masedu (2013) start their article by recognizing the impact of an earthquake on the well-being of people. People who are greatly affected by an earthquake are those who experience the massive losses. An earthquake causes losses of lives, property, and other damages. Valenti and Masedu (2013) focus their study on the psychological impairment that is caused by an earthquake to a survivor. The conclusions drawn by Valenti and Masedu (2013) are based on the 2009 catastrophic earthquake, which caused immense damage to the city of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. After the earthquake, locals lost their properties, homes, and lives. Approximately, 67,000 people were displaced from their homes to the coast of the region with some being made to reside in tents. The number of deaths caused by this ordeal was 308 people. A lot of survivors sustained serious injuries. The earthquake caused a huge social and psychological impact on the community.
From the perspective of this particular earthquake that took place in Italy, it can be seen that the quality of life of a person changes greatly after the ordeal. For the 67,000 people who lost their homes because of the earthquake, life became a total change to them. Those who had never lived in tents had to survive in them for the first time in their lives. Non-normative events cause adverse changes in a person's quality of life. Their quality of life becomes poor. Furthermore, for those who lost their family members, the emotional torture was quite strong. This psychological depression can change a person's general well-being. Their happiness was snatched away by the earthquake. It is vital to note the fact earthquakes, just like HIV/AIDS, normally take place without warning. Valenti and Masedu (2013) say that an earthquake is a natural disaster that does not even give somebody the chance to make psychological preparation.
References
Basavaraj, K. H., Navya, M. A., & Rashmi, R. (2010). Quality of life in HIV/AIDS. Indian journal of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, 31 (2), 75.
Valenti, M. & Masedu, F. (2013). A longitudinal study of quality of life of earthquake survivors in L’Aquila, Italy. BMC public health, 13 (1), 1143.
