Abstract
This study examined the relationship between three HIV-specific coping strategies (cognitive coping strategies, denial, and religious coping) and quality of life (QoL) in 90 HIV+, predominately minority women on highly active antiretroviral therapy. Religious coping was unrelated to QoL however, use of cognitive coping strategies was related to greater QoL, and denial was related to poorer QoL. Baron and Kenny's model of mediation was then used to test perceived stress as a mediator of the relationships between denial and cognitive coping strategies and QoL. These relationships were both mediated by perceived stress. Results suggest that utilization of certain coping strategies may lessen or heighten perceptions of life stressfulness, thereby influencing QoL in this understudied population.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-183 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | AIDS and behavior |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2004 |
Funding
This project was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (P01 MH49548 and T32 MH18917). We thank the graduate assistants and staff of the SMART study for their assistance with recruitment and assessment. We are deeply grateful to the participants for sharing their time and experiences with us.
Keywords
- HIV/AIDS women
- coping
- perceived stress
- quality of life
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Social Psychology
