Emotional Distress in Nonmetropolitan Persons Living With HIV Disease Enrolled in a Telephone-Delivered, Coping Improvement Group Intervention

• Published in: Health psychology Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 94 - 100
• Main Authors: Heckman, Timothy G, Anderson, Eileen S, Sikkema, Kathleen J, Kochman, Arlene, Kalichman, Seth C, Anderson, Timothy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-01-2004
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; AIDS; Biological and medical sciences; Coping Behavior; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Distress; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Group Intervention; Group Psychotherapy; HIV; HIV Seropositivity - diagnosis; HIV Seropositivity - epidemiology; HIV Seropositivity - psychology; Hotlines; Human; Humans; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Intervention; Major Depression; Male; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patients; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rural areas; Rural Environments; Severity; Severity (Disorders); Severity of Illness Index; Social Support; Stereotyping; Symptoms; Telephone support groups; Telephone Systems; USA; social support; AIDS; symptom severity; depression; HIV; nonmetropolitan; Mood disorder; Social environment; Human; Immunopathology; Urban environment; Daily living; Depression; Personality; Immune deficiency; Stress; Infection; Symptomatology; Viral disease; Coping; Psychological well being; Social support
• ISSN: 0278-6133; 1930-7810
• DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.23.1.94

The study delineated depressive symptoms and modeled emotional
distress in persons living with HIV disease in nonmetropolitan areas of 13
U.S. states. Participants (
N
= 329) were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of a
telephone-delivered, coping improvement group intervention,
and 60% reported moderate or severe levels of depressive symptomatology
on the Beck Depression Inventory. Structural equation modeling indicated
that participants who experienced more severe HIV symptomatology,
received less social support, and engaged in more avoidant coping also
experienced more emotional distress (a latent construct comprising
depressive symptoms and emotional well-being). Greater
HIV-related stigma and rejection by family led to more emotional
distress, with social support and avoidant coping mediating almost
entirely the effects of the former 2 variables. The model accounted for
72% of the variance in emotional distress in nonmetropolitan persons
living with HIV disease.