What works in coping with HIV? A meta-analysis with implications for coping with serious illness.

Abstract

Knowledge of effective ways of coping with HIV is critical to help individuals with HIV maintain the best possible psychological and physical well-being. The purpose of the present article is to determine, through meta-analysis, the strength of the evidence regarding 2 questions: (a) Which types of coping are related to psychological and physical well-being among people with HIV? and (b) Do contextual (pre?post introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapies [HAART]; time since diagnosis), measurement (HIV-related event vs. generic prompts for coping measurement), or individual (gender) variables affect the extent to which coping is related to physical and psychological well-being? The authors' analysis demonstrates that Direct Action and Positive Reappraisal were consistently associated with better outcomes in people coping with HIV across affective, health behavior, and physical health categories. In contrast, disengagement forms of coping, such as Behavioral Disengagement and Use of Alcohol or Drugs to Cope, were consistently associated with poorer outcomes. The findings also indicate that in some cases, coping effectiveness was dependent on contextual factors, including time since diagnosis and the advent of HAART.

The Playful Advantage: How Playfulness Enhances Coping with Stress

“…Self-blame has been associated with negative outcomes, both physical and emotional (Moskowitz, Hult, Bussolari, & Acree, 2009;Smith, Lumley, & Longo, 2002), and indicates a negative and unproductive internalization of the feelings of distress. No other indicators from the present study point to moderately or highly playful individuals coping in maladaptive or avoidant ways.…”

Coordinación emocional en el afrontamiento del cáncer: alexitimia, apego y estrategias de afrontamiento como predictores de bienestar emocional en mujeres sometidas a radioterapia

“…It seems to be well established in the literature that avoidance strategies are good predictors of psychological distress (Dempster et al, 2015), and that direct action coping strategies focused on problem solving lead to emotional benefits and better adaptation to medical situations (Stanton et al, 2000;Stanton & Low, 2012). It has been found that in breast cancer, which represents the majority of cases in our sample, stress avoidance strategies are prejudicial depending on other variables, such as the stage of the illness or whether it is being treated (Asuzu & Elumelu, 2013;Costanzo, Lutgendorf, Rothrock, & Anderson, 2006;Kraemer et al, 2011;Kvillemo & Bränström, 2014;Moskowitz, Hult, Bussolari, & Acree, 2009). Furthermore, as already mentioned, the results of the avoidance scale should be interpreted with caution due to their low internal consistency in our sample.…”

Evaluación de una intervención dirigida a reducir el impacto del estigma en las personas con VIH capacitándolas para afrontarlo

“…This type of strategies has important costs in terms of reduction of social support (Stutterheim et al, 2011) and increase of diverse symptoms of psychological distress (Herek et al, 2009;Link, Castille, & Stuber, 2008). In contrast, active coping styles are related to better health behaviors and greater physical and psychological well-being (Moscowitz, Hult, Bussolari, & Acree, 2009;Sanjuán, Molero, Fuster, & Nouvilas, 2013). Therefore, the decrease of internalized stigma, the increase of perceived self-efficacy to cope with stigma, the increase of approach coping strategies, and the reduction of avoidant coping strategies achieved by the intervention are revealed as key variables to reduce the impact of stigma on the quality of life of people with HIV.…”