Coping with HIV-seropositive status: a psychoneuroimmunological perspective

Orr, Neil M

Coping with HIV-seropositive status: a psychoneuroimmunological perspective

Master Thesis

1994

Abstract

Twenty-seven HIV-infected homosexual men participating in an experimental drug trial were included in a psychoneuroimmunological investigation of the association between levels of short-term emotional distress, methods of coping, hopelessness, loneliness, joy, and CDS-cell counts, CD4-cell counts, and the cumulative rate of CD4-cell decline since infection. A survey of needs was included. The sample (n = 27) was significantly more depressed (p < 0.01), angry (p < 0.001), confused (p < 0.05), and lonelier (p < 0.01) than normative groups. There were no significant differences in emotional distress between asymptomatic subjects (n = 16; CDC II and Ill) and symptomatic subjects (n = 11; CDC IVa, IVcl and 1Vc2). Secondary analyses indicate that the asymptomatic subjects were significantly more distressed than comparable American asymptomatic HIV-infected men, while the symptomatic subjects were not more distressed than comparable American subjects. A survey of needs revealed that financial concems related to HIV-infection were found to be a greater source of distress than symptom status. The sample scored significantly lower than college student norms for coping by means of seeking social support for emotional reasons (p < 0.05), and significantly higher on all scales pertaining to avoidance coping (0.02 > p < 0.001), as well as acceptance coping (p < 0.001). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found for all problem-focused coping and emotion-focusing coping scales, nor for coping by means of focusing upon and venting of emotions. Five subjects who had been infected for less than two years were excluded from analyses regarding immune functioning. For the remaining 22 subjects, no significant associations between psychosocial factors and CDS-cell counts were found (p > 0.05), nor were there any significant associations between measures of short A regression model containing the coping scales of suppression of competing activities and mental disengagement predicted 33.3 percent of cross-sectional CD4-cell counts (f = 4.737, df = 2, 19, p < 0.05). Both factors were negatively associated with CD4-cell counts. A regression model containing the coping methods of focusing upon and venting of emotions and mental disengagement predicted 29 percent of CD4- rates of decline over time (f = 3.874, df = 2, 19, p < 0.05). The venting of emotions scale was associated with slower rates of CD4-cell decline over time (r = -0.433, df = 21, p < 0.05), while mental disengagement coping was associated with faster rates of CD4-cell decline (r = + 0.314, df = 21, p = 0.16). A median-split of scores on the focusing upon and venting of emotions coping scale and CD4-rates of decline reveals that high venting scores are found in 77 percent of subjects with slow rates of decline, while low scores are evident for 78 percent of those with fast rates of cumulative CD4-cell decline since infection. It was concluded that these results are consistent with previous research concerning with the immunosuppressive effects of habitual repression of emotions and the long-term maladaptive effects of avoidance coping. -term POMS scales of emotional distress and CD4-cell counts and rates of decline over time.

Keywords

Research Psychology

Reference:

Collections

Masters

Full item page