COPING STYLE IN RELATION TO THE CONSUMPTION OF FACTOR CONCENTRATE IN HIV-INFECTED HEMOPHILIACS DURING THE YEARS AFTER THEIR INFECTION BECAME KNOWN

A psychosocial investigation offered to all HIV-infected men with mode rately severe or severe hemophilia in Sweden was made in 1986. Most of these men had been infected in the years 1980-1984 and told about the ir own infection in 1985. A noninfected group of hemophiliacs was used as a reference group in the psychosocial investigation. A psychosocia l prognosis was made on the basis of the coping style observed by mean s of the Coping Wheel. Among subjects who showed evidence of a passive -pessimistic coping style, there was a significant decrease in the num ber of factor concentrate units received in 1987 and 1988. Among subje cts in the group with a more active-optimistic coping style, there was a tendency of increasing the use of factor concentrate during the yea rs after the HIV-infection became known. This result indicates that aw areness of HIV-infection may influence specific hemophilia behavior am ong subjects with passive-depressed coping style.