Coping strategies and associated factors among older Chinese people living with HIV/AIDS

Coping strategies play a prominent role in maintaining mental health, but little is known about the main coping strategies and potential influential factors among older Chinese adults with HIV/AIDS. Cross-sectional data of 254 older with HIV/AIDS aged 50 ~ 84 years (160 males and 94 females) from Hunan, China were analyzed to evaluate influential factors associated with coping strategies. The scores of all participants in the different sub-scales of confrontation, avoidance and acceptance-resignation were 15.16 ± 4.03, 16.44 ± 2.70, and 11.06 ± 4.00, respectively. For the confrontation coping strategy, higher scores were obtained by those with a higher education level, non-sexually transmitted HIV, and a first diagnosis at less than 50 years old. Avoidance as a coping strategy was significantly associated with a longer period living with the diagnosis. The participants who were females, unemployed, annual income less than 1000 yuan, had lived with HIV for a longer period, and had disclosed their infection status to their family members were more likely to adopt the acceptance-resignation coping strategy in response to HIV/AIDS. These preliminary findings can provide evidence for effective interventions to improve coping capacity and psychological status in this population.