Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25768876›Full record

SynthesisJournal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)2015

Impact of support groups for people living with HIV on clinical outcomes: a systematic review of the literature.

Moses H Bateganya, Ugo Amanyeiwe, Uchechi Roxo, Maxia Dong

Registry-linked trialAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07514221 (Adaptation of Project Yes+ to Improve Mental Health and Reduce HIV-related Stigma Among Adolescent and Young Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV in Vietnam), which is not on this map. Cited by 99 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
99citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07514221 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Adaptation of Project Yes+ to Improve Mental Health and Reduce HIV-related Stigma Among Adolescent and Young Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV in Vietnam

TypeinterventionalSponsorHanoi Medical UniversityRan2026 to 2028Enrolled80ConditionsMental Disorder, HIV StigmaArmsTo-Hieu (I understand)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

99 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Enhancing quality of life through tailored interventions for men living with HIV.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
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39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Moses H Bateganya*Division of Global AIDS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA; and †Technical Leadership and Research Division Office of HIV and AIDS Global Health Bureau United State Agency for International Development, Washington DC, ‡Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Research Division Office of HIV and AIDS Global Health Bureau United State Agency for International Development, Washington DC.
Ugo Amanyeiwe
Uchechi Roxo
Maxia Dong

Funding

Intramural CDC HHS CC999999PEPFAR
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSupport groups for people living with HIV are integrated into HIV care and treatment programs as a modality for increasing patient literacy and as an intervention to address the psychosocial needs of patients. However, the impact of support groups on key health outcomes has not been fully determined.

methodsWe searched electronic databases from January 1995 through May 2014 and reviewed relevant literature on the impact of support groups on mortality, morbidity, retention in HIV care, quality of life (QOL), and ongoing HIV transmission, as well as their cost-effectiveness.

resultsOf 1809 citations identified, 20 met the inclusion criteria. One reported on mortality, 7 on morbidity, 5 on retention in care, 7 on QOL, and 7 on ongoing HIV transmission. Eighteen (90%) of the articles reported largely positive results on the impact of support group interventions on key outcomes. Support groups were associated with reduced mortality and morbidity, increased retention in care, and improved QOL. Because of study limitations, the overall quality of evidence was rated as fair for mortality, morbidity, retention in care, and QOL, and poor for HIV transmission.

conclusionsImplementing support groups as an intervention is expected to have a high impact on morbidity and retention in care and a moderate impact on mortality and QOL of people living with HIV. Support groups improve disclosure with potential prevention benefits but the impact on ongoing transmission is uncertain. It is unclear whether this intervention is cost-effective given the paucity of studies in this area.

Indexed as

Self-Help GroupsCost-Benefit AnalysisDeveloping CountriesHealth Impact AssessmentHealth ResourcesHIV InfectionsHumansMorbidityOutcome Assessment, Health CareQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID25768876
PMCPMC4709521

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.