Coping with AIDS. A longitudinal study

The goals of this longitudinal, prospective study were to 1) examine coping strategies of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) injecting drug users; 2) study the relationship of earlier social support to later coping in HIV+ men; and 3) examine the effects of earlier coping strategies on later psychosocial function. The authors studied 287 men given a structured questionnaire at two points in time. HIV+ subjects scored higher than HIV- subjects on measures of AIDS-related adaptive coping (social support) and AIDS-related maladaptive coping (aggression), but not on general coping. General coping was not specifically AIDS-related, but was correlated positively with adaptive coping and negatively with maladaptive coping. These results suggest that earlier general coping is related to the later avoidance of maladaptive coping, and they have specific implications for teaching preventive strategies. AIDS-related adaptive or maladaptive coping techniques may be used simultaneously, and coping behavior may change over time. Earlier social support is related positively to aspects of later coping in HIV+ men.