Behavior, emotional stress and psychosocial factors among asymptomatic HIV-infected patients

Over the last years the way in which patients with chronic physical illness respond to their illness (illness behavior) has been explored by several s tudies. This study sought to examine characteristics of illness behavior an d to investigate the association between illness behavior and psychosocial and clinical variables among asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects. Methods: S eventy-th ree asymptomatic HIV+ outpatients completed self-report questionn aires to evaluate illness behavior (Illness Behavior Questionnaire), psycho logical stress symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory), personality variables (E xternal Locus of Control and Courtauld Emotional Control Scales) and social support (Social Provision Scale), Results: Psychological morbidity ('casen ess' = 34%) was associated with a pattern of illness behavior characterized by conviction of disease progression, irritability, dysphoria, psychologic al perception of illness and low denial. Individual capacity to express emo tions, adequate levels of social support and low levels of depression, as w ell as clinical variables (high number of CD4+ cells, recent notification o f HIV infection and nonintravenous drug use category) influenced a more ada ptive illness behavior. Psychological stress and low CD4+ cell count were t he main predictors of the affective dimension of illness behavior. Conclusi ons: Psychosocial variables resulted to influence the tendency to interpret illness in a nonadaptive way in asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects. Such v ariables merit to be routinely examined within the doctor-patient relations hip in AIDS clinics.