LIAISON PSYCHIATRY AND HIV-INFECTION .1. AVOIDANCE COPING RESPONSES ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS ACCOMPANYING SOMATIC COMPLAINTS

We examined the relationship of somatic complaints to coping behaviors and mood states among 50 HIV-positive patients without AIDS. Although no patients fulfilled the DSM-III-R criteria for mood disorders inclu ding major depression, scores for depressive symptoms were significant ly higher in the HIV-positive patients than in healthy persons. Althou gh depressive symptoms in HIV patients may not be strong enough to war rant a psychiatric diagnosis of mood disorders, these patients may be prone to depressive symptoms. The HIV patients indicated a tendency to ward somatic complaints more frequently than their healthy counterpart s. The scores for depressive symptoms were significantly and positivel y correlated with scores for avoidance coping responses. The presence or absence of six complaints (i.e., general fatigue, abdominal distres s, chest pain or discomfort, and numbness or chills) could be discrimi nated based on the score of avoidance coping responses. The results of this study suggest that avoidance coping responses associated with de pressive symptoms accompany several somatic complaints in HIV patients without AIDS.