Coping effectiveness training for men living with HIV: preliminary findings.

TLDR: An intervention to increase coping and decrease distress in persons living with HIV is described and preliminary data from a randomized clinical trial that is being conducted to evaluate the training’s impact on HIV-related distress are reported on.

Abstract: The estimated 12 million people worldwide who are infected with HIV face a chronic and debilitating disease that can create profound psychological distress. Each individual living with HIV confronts uncertainties about their future personal health and prognosis. In the developed world, advances in medical management and treatment of HIV have altered the trajectory of this disease to one of longterm illness. As a result, many individuals with HIV disease live more than a decade with the threat of increasing disability, loss of employment, and premature death. Many HIV-infected persons cope effectively with their condition and continue to lead productive, meaningful lives. Unfortunately, others have dif® culty managing the stresses associated with their condition. The Of® ce of AIDS Research and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both at the National Institutes of Health, have called for research on interventions to assist HIV-infected individuals to cope with the distress that often accompanies HIV disease and that can interfere with quality of life and adherence to care. While the majority of behavioural research and interventions in the area of HIV/AIDS have focused on the primary prevention of HIV transmission, a number of investigators have been conducting research designed to develop and evaluate interventions to increase coping and decrease distress in persons living with HIV1± 5. This paper describes one such intervention, Coping Effectiveness Training6,7, and reports on preliminary data from a randomized clinical trial that is being conducted to evaluate the training’s impact on HIV-related distress. In the face of the worldwide epidemic, some might argue that interventions are a luxury that we cannot afford. We believe that there are a number of compelling reasons to help those who are infected. First and foremost, there is the humanitarian imperative. If we have the capacity to deliver treatments that can ease pain and suffering and provide support, we have a responsibility to make these available. Second, assisting HIV-infected persons to cope with their disease will reduce distress, which is associated with non-adherence to care. Thus, coping interventions may increase adherence and reduce health care costs associated with HIV. Third, to the extent that distress has been associated with high-risk sexual behaviour8, assisting HIV-infected persons to cope with distress may reduce high-risk behaviour and reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission.