Living and Working with HIV/AIDS: A Lifelong Process of Adaptation

Ways of coping mediate the relationship between self‐efficacy for managing HIV and acceptance of illness among people living with HIV

“…Chronic conditions force people to make adaptive changes in many aspects of their lives to adjust to and accept new, often difficult, situations. Adaptation to the new condition of living with HIV, manifesting as acceptance of illness (Samson & Siam, 2011), plays an important role in patients' subjective quality of life assessment (Mazurek & Lurbiecki, 2014). Additionally, previous studies have indicated that an increase in acceptance of HIV leads to improved adaptation outcomes, including ART adherence and better life quality (Kerrigan, Grieb, Ellen, & Sibinga, 2018; Oji et al., 2017); however, if PLWH lack illness acceptance, their lives with HIV may be hindered by a maladaptive state.…”