STABILITY AND CHANGE IN PERSONALITY-DISORDER SYMPTOMATOLOGY - FINDINGS FROM A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF HIV- MEN( AND HIV)

A longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the stability of per sonality disorders (PDs) over a 2-year interval, as well as the associ ation between change in PD symptomatology and change in psychological distress. Structured clinical interviews and questionnaires assessing PDs and psychological distress were administered to a community sample of 118 gay men (80 HIV seropositive men and 38 HIV seronegative men) at a baseline session and readministered 2 years later. Results indica ted that PD symptom levels tended to be moderately stable, that PD dia gnoses had low stability and that changes in PD symptom levels were as sociated with changing levels of psychological distress but not with p rogression of HIV infection.