Coping style and its association with depression and self-esteem in women living with HIV

Background/Significance: Women constitute an increasing proportion of individuals contracting HIV and face unique challenges to their psychosocial adaptation. Understanding the coping mechanisms of women living with HIV is critical in developing efficacious therapeutic interventions to strengthen their psychological resourcefulness.

Objective/Purpose: The present study examined coping styles and its relation to depression and self-esteem in HIV positive women.

Methods: Three hundred sixty-five HIV positive women were recruited from HIV/AIDS clinics in the Southeastern United States. The majority of women were African-American (84.2%). Participants completed an interview assessment assessing sociodemographics, depression, self-esteem, and coping via the Ways of Coping Scale.

Results: Logistic regression analyses indicated that women who scored higher on positive reappraisal, behavioral escape avoidance, and distancing coping relative to those who scored lower were 3.02, 1.83, and 1.79 times respectively to have higher depressive symptoms. On the other hand, women who scored higher on self-control coping were 1.85 times more likely then women who scored lower to have lower depressive symptoms. Additionally, women who scored higher on problem solving, positive reappraisal, and distancing coping relative to those who scored lower were 1.68, 3.42, and 2.00 times respectively to have lower self-esteem.

Discussion/Conclusions: Positive coping mechanisms have been associated with higher psychosocial adjustment to chronic disease. However, these findings suggest that although women endorse positive coping mechanisms, they continue to indicate higher depressive symptomology and lower self-esteem. Understanding the mechanisms of coping and its affects on psychosocial adaptation warrants further examination.