Correlates of posttraumatic growth among African Americans living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi.

Individuals diagnosed with HIV face a host of challenges post-diagnosis. At risk for negative psychological outcomes, persons living with HIV/AIDS may also experience posttraumatic growth (i.e., positive cognitive and emotional changes that may occur following HIV diagnosis). African Americans, in particular, experience poorer psychosocial and behavioral outcomes and greater HIV-related health disparities, and also tend to report more posttraumatic growth than European Americans. This exploratory study examined demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral correlates of posttraumatic growth among 45 African American adults living with HIV in Mississippi. Statistical methods included correlational analyses and independent sample t-tests. As measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, posttraumatic growth was associated with several demographic (i.e., age, education, employment, income), psychosocial (i.e., social support, coping self-efficacy, psychological distress [negative]), and behavioral variables (i.e., church attendance, abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes). Findings indicate that African Americans living with HIV in underserved, under-resourced areas are capable of perceiving posttraumatic growth post-diagnosis. Moreover, research has shown that perceived positive growth is associated with important sociocultural, psychosocial, and behavioral factors that directly and/or indirectly influence health and treatment outcomes. Implications of findings are discussed.