Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:876-880
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Psychosocial distress and well-being among gay and bisexual men with human immunodeficiency virus infection
HT Chuang, GM Devins, J Hunsley and MJ Gill
Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The authors examined levels of psychosocial distress and well-being in 65
gay or bisexual men infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV);
24 of these men had asymptomatic HIV infection, 22 had acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related complex, and 19 had AIDS. All of the men
evidenced high levels of psychosocial distress, but those with AIDS-related
complex and those with asymptomatic HIV infection were significantly more
distressed than those with AIDS. Corresponding differences were not
observed in feelings of psychosocial well-being. The authors conclude that
specific psychosocial issues and adaptive demands should be identified over
the course of HIV illness.
