title: Resilience factors associated with adaptation to HIV disease.
abstract: This study examines the hardiness dimensions of commitment, challenge, and control as resilience factors in adaptation among persons with symptomatic HIV disease and AIDS. Two hundred participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring hardiness, psychological distress, quality of life, and core personal beliefs. A series of standard multiple regression analyses revealed that high hardiness was significantly related to 1) lower psychological distress levels; 2) higher perceived quality of life in physical health, mental health, and overall functioning domains; 3) more positive personal beliefs regarding the benevolence of the world and people, self-worth, and randomness of life events; and 4) lowered belief in controllability of life events. Commitment was the hardiness factor that most frequently made a unique contribution to predicting adaptation in the regression models. Implications of these findings for understanding HIV-related adaptation and for clinical mental health intervention are considered. Future directions in HIV-related adaptation research are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. efarber@emory.edu
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Farber
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Schaper
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Moonen
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McDaniel
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life; D012803:Sick Role