COPING AND MOOD IN HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN

To date, little empirical research on the association of coping style with mood in HIV-positive women has been carried out. The extant liter ature on HIV-positive men suggests that active coping is related to di minished distress while avoidant coping is associated with elevated di stress. Previous research with HIV-positive women has not consistently confirmed these relationships. To add to this literature, scores from a sample of 145 HIV-positive women who completed the Ways of Coping Q uestionnaire and the Mental Health Inventory were analyzed. Correlatio ns indicated that an escape-avoidance strategy was associated with mor e negative emotions. Other strategies related to negative emotions inc luded accepting responsibility and a self-controlling approach. These findings are consistent with those previously re ported for HIV-positi ve men, suggesting that similar kinds of coping strategies may be asso ciated with positive and negative moods among HIV-positive men and wom en.