Predicting health distress and at‐risk sexual behaviour in a group of Italian asymptomatic HIV‐infected people

Abstract

One hundred and one asymptomatic seropositive subjects (66% intravenous drug users, 22% heterosexuals and 12% homosexuals) were evaluated on demographic, medical and behavioral variables, using the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced and Medical Outcomes Study -HIV, together with questions on perceived social support. The homosexuals, those using coping strategies involving poor control of the situation, those with fewer years of seropositivity and the younger and less educated subjects more frequently adopted at-risk sexual behavior. Avoidance and problem-oriented strategies were predictive of health distress, whereas a positive attitude and the search for support appeared to offer some degree of protection against stress. No medical variable among those considered turned out to be linked to health distress. This study suggests that, in asymptomatic seropositive people, coping and social support are essential in managing the disease and of moderate importance in predicting at-risk sexual behaviour.

Metacognitive beliefs and strategies predict worry, obsessive–compulsive symptoms and coping styles: A preliminary prospective study on an Italian non‐clinical sample

“…COPE has been translated and validated in Italian and showed modest internal consistency values for most of the scales (0.50-0.70) and adequate test-retest correlations (0.50-0.70). A second-order principal components factor analysis revealed five second-order factors with better psychometric properties: social support/ventilating emotions, avoidance/maladaptive strategies, positive attitude, planning/ activity, and turning to religion (Sica et al, 2001;Sica, Novara, Dorz, & Sanavio, 1997). On the basis of well-established studies on coping strategies (e.g., Carver et al, 1989;Sica et al, 1997), two specific dimensions from the Italian version of the COPE were taken in consideration.…”