Other
factors, like social support and the ability to cope with problems, also
contribute to an HIV patient’s overall mental health, say
Eugene W. Farber, Ph.D., of Emory University School of Medicine and colleagues.
But a patient’s beliefs about the disease seem to
affect psychological well-being above and beyond these other factors,
the researchers conclude.
Patients may find it easier to cope with their disease
if they see it as an “opportunity for personal growth” or
can attach some other positive meaning to it, the researchers say. Their
findings are
published in the November issue of Psychosomatics.
“Psychotherapists can help their patients explore the personal significance
and effects of HIV/AIDS and encourage … realities that allow for
pursuit of realistic options and choices within the acknowledged limits
imposed by the disease,” Farber says.
Patients’ perceptions of their disease might also
affect how well they stick to a medication schedule or avoid risky behaviors
related
to HIV infection, they add.
Farber and colleagues surveyed 203 mostly low-income people with HIV who
were being treated at an urban outpatient clinic. The patients were asked
about their strategies for coping with health difficulties, their general
psychological well-being, their feelings about their illness and any support
they received from others.
More than 73 percent of the patients were clinically depressed,
which may “reflect the considerable emotional burden that presumably is
associated with the simultaneous challenges of living with HIV/AIDS and
managing the psychosocial stresses associated with poverty,” the
researchers say.
The study was supported by the Emory Medical Care Foundation.
