Coping, conflictual social interactions, social support, and mood among HIV-infected persons

This study considers the interrelationships among coping, conflictual socia l interactions, and social support, as well as their combined associations with positive and negative mood Research has shown that each of these varia bles affects adjustment to stressful circumstances. Few studies, however, e xamine this full set of variables simultaneously. One hundred forty HN-infe cted persons completed a questionnaire containing measures of coping, socia l support, conflictual social interactions, and positive and negative mood. Factor analyses showed that perceived social support and conflictual socia l interactions formed separate factors and were not strongly related. Compa red to perceived social support, social conflict was more strongly related to coping behaviors, especially to social isolation, anger, wishful thinkin g. Conflictual social interactions were more strongly related to negative m ood than was perceived social support. Coping by withdrawing socially was s ignificantly related to less positive and greater negative mood. The findin gs point to the importance of simultaneously considering coping, supportive relationships, and conflictual relationships in studies of adjustment to c hronic illness. In particular, a dynamic may occur in which conflictual soc ial interactions and social isolation aggravate each other and result in es calating psychological distress.