PSYCHOIMMUNOLOGY AND AIDS - A REVIEW OF T HE LITERATURE

In recent years, several studies have been carried out concerning the effect of psychosocial factors on the course of infection due to the h uman immunodeficiency virus (HIV). After summarizing the current statu s of general knowledge in the field of psychoimmunology, this article reviews the results of studies conducted in regard to HIV. Two conclus ions are reached. The first is that current research has not shown psy chosocial factors to have any impact on either the immunity status of seropositive patients or the medical complications inherent to AIDS. T he second conclusion is that several types of intervention, in particu lar psychoeducational approaches, stress management programs, and the strengthening of social and family support, give good results where th e psychosocial well-being of patients is concerned and should motivate various health professionals to improve the focus of their interventi ons. Furthermore, significant methodological weaknesses in several ind exed studies are noted, and these should be rectified to enable future studies to confirm or correct the present observations.