Coping and depressive symptoms among people with AIDS

This study examined coping behaviors of people with AIDS, using a large sample (N = 736) that was both geographically and sociodemographically diverse. In-person interviews were conducted with people receiving AIDS-related medical or social services; follow-up interviews were conducted approximately 11 months later. Factor analyses of 16 coping behaviors revealed three factors: Positive Coping, Seeking Social Support, and Avoidance Coping. Respondents with a history of injected drug use, as compared with gay or bisexual men, had higher scores for Avoidance Coping and lower scores for Positive Coping. Each coping scale was significantly related to depressive symptoms in cross-sectional analyses. In longitudinal analyses that controlled for prior depressive symptoms, Positive Coping was significantly related to decreases in symptoms.