Meaning of illness and psychological adjustment to HIV/AIDS.

The authors explored the relationship between meaning of illness and psychological adjustment in persons with symptomatic HIV disease and AIDS. A group of 203 participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring meaning of illness, problem-focused coping, social support, psychological well-being, and depressed mood. Positive meaning was associated with a higher level of psychological well-being and a lower level of depressed mood. Further, meaning contributed significantly to predicting both psychological well-being and depressed mood over and above the contributions of problem-focused coping and social support. These findings have implications for HIV coping and adjustment models and for HIV-related psychotherapy.