Coping strategies and emotional wellbeing among HIV-infected men and womenexperiencing AIDS-related bereavement

AIDS influences the psychological coping not only of the person with the di sease but also those close to that individual. Following a death from AIDS, family members and friends may experience atypical bereavement. Bereavemen t coping challenges can be especially difficult and pronounced for persons who are themselves HIV-positive. The prevalence of AIDS-related bereavement and psychosocial predictors of grief severity were examined in an ethnical ly diverse sample of 199 HIV-infected men and women. Eighty per cent of HIV -positive respondents had experienced the loss of someone close to AIDS, th e majority of whom had sustained multiple and repetitive losses. Two-thirds of the participants who had experienced an AIDS-related loss reported grie f symptoms in the past month. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed tha t grief was most closely associated with emotional suppression and avoiding coping strategies, with residual variance related to depression. Intervent ions for AIDS-related bereavement that reduce distress and maladaptive ways of coping are needed in order to meet the secondary prevention needs of be reaved people living with HIV/AIDS.