Relationships of perceived stress to coping, attachment and social supportamong HIV-positive persons

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of coping, attac hment style and perceived social support to perceived stress within a sampl e of HIV-positive persons. Participants were 147 HIV-positive persons (80 m en and 67 women). Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the rela tionships of the demographic variables, AIDS status, three coping styles, t hree attachment styles and perceived quality of general social support with total score on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). PSS score was significant ly associated with less income, greater use of behavioural and emotional di sengagement in coping with HIV/AIDS, and less secure and more anxious attac hment styles. These results indicate that HIV-positive persons who experien ce the greatest stress in their daily lives are those with lower incomes, t hose who disengage behaviourally/emotionally in coping with their illness, and those who approach their interpersonal relationships in a less secure o r more anxious style.