Who is most likely to benefit from a positive psychological intervention? Moderator analyses from a randomized trial in people newly diagnosed with HIV

The Intervention for those Recently Informed of their Seropositive Status (IRISS) and other positive psychological interventions (PPIs) have demonstrated psychological and physical health benefits. However, meta-analyses suggest that PPIs may have differential effects depending on participants’ sociodemographic and psychological characteristics. We, therefore, examined potential moderators of effects of IRISS for adults newly diagnosed with HIV (N = 159). While IRISS had similar effects on positive emotion across most subgroups (age, race, education, stress), depression was a significant moderator for positive emotion. When examining effects of IRISS on antidepressant use, age, race, education, depression, and perceived stress emerged as significant moderators. Neither optimism nor life events significantly moderated effects of IRISS on any outcome. Results have clinical implications that practitioners can use to inform which patients are most likely to benefit from PPI.