STRESS, CONTROL, COPING, AND DEPRESSIVE MOOD IN HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-POSITIVE AND VIRUS-NEGATIVE GAY MEN IN SAN-FRANCISCO

This study examined the relationship between stress, appraised control , and coping and depressive mood in 425 human immunodeficiency virus-p ositive and -negative gay men in San Francisco. Depressive mood was as sessed by self-report in 1988 and 1989. Participants were also surveye d in 1989 on the stress in their lives, their appraised control over t he stress, and the ways they coped. Depressive mood in 1988 and sympto ms of human immunodeficiency virus disease in 1989 accounted for 50% o f the variance in 1989 depressive mood; stress, appraised control, and coping accounted for an additional 10% of the variance in depressive mood in 1989. Path analysis indicated: stress appraised as controllabl e was associated with involvement coping, which in turn was associated with diminished depressive mood; stress associated with detachment wa s associated with increased depressive mood; and stress was also direc tly associated with increased depressive mood.