Living with HIV infection: adaptive tasks of seropositive gay men

With improved understanding of the natural history of HIV/AIDS and the availability of effective early intervention, HIV infection recently has come to be conceptualized as a chronic illness. As we enter the next phase of the epidemic, insights into the challenges of daily living faced by seropositive persons will aid in designing appropriate interventions to educate for adaptive success and to ameliorate adaptive difficulties. In our analysis of focused interviews with 55 seropositive gay men, we identified three major adaptive challenges: dealing with the possibility of a curtailed life span, dealing with reactions to a stigmatizing illness, and developing strategies for maintaining physical and emotional health. The men's descriptions of these adaptive challenges are discussed in the context of adaptation to other chronic illnesses.