HIV-positive women improve their ability to manage the virus if they have a job. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the University of California at San Francisco published the results of their study in Social Science and Medicine. The investigators surveyed 260 women living with HIV about their social resources. The group had a median age of 46 and was 65 percent African American.

The researchers found that both the routine of a work schedule as well as the financial impact, including work-related benefits packages, provided vital emotional support for these women. The survey also noted that African-American women with HIV rated more highly in their self-management skills, which encompass daily tasks such as adhering to medications, exercising, eating healthfully, finding support when necessary and keeping medical appointments.

Because of the fact that poverty and lack of education and training serve as roadblocks to gainful employment, the researchers made a plea for more training programs to help elevate such women into the workforce.

To read the study abstract, click here.

To read a release about the study, click here.