HIV, self-transcendence, and quality of life

In a sample of 46 HIV-positive individuals, self-transcendence—the expansion of personal boundaries to find broader life perspectives and meaning—was relatively high. Quality of life was also higher than reported in earlier studies. Some significant differences emerged among the three HIV clinical categories. The findings suggest that self-transcendence may play a role in the well-being of people living with HIV, though the study is exploratory and limited by its small sample size.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Self-transcendence is a developmental characteristic that expands one's boundaries of the self to take on broader life perspectives, activities, and purposes that help one discover or make meaning of one's life. However, no quantitative studies were found in the research literature that focused on self-transcendence or on the relationship between self-transcendence and quality of life in people infected with HIV. To examine these variables in this population, 46 HIV-positive subjects completed Reed's Self-Transcendence Scale and Ferrans and Powers' Quality of Life Index. The results demonstrated that overall self-transcendence for this sample was relatively high; quality of life was higher than that reported in previous research; and there were some significant group differences among the three HIV clinical categories.