The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a stress management group intervention for people with HIV. The study will evaluate several outcomes, including perceived stress, quality of life, psychosocial factors, and physiological measures of stress.
It is well documented that living with HIV/AIDS can cause a great amount of stress, and evidence suggests that stress may hasten HIV disease progression by increasing viral replication and suppressing the immune response. Stress management intervention studies using more complex combinations of cognitive and relaxation therapies have shown improvements in both psychological and physiological measures in HIV infected persons. However, no studies have focused on only one intervention or have addressed the spiritual component using a comparable control group to determine which of these interventions is most effective. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a spiritually-based cognitive intervention to an educational control group. The intervention will be given over a 10-week period, with 5 weekly classes, 4 weekly automated phone calls, and one final class meeting. Assessments will be conducted at pre-intervention, fifth class midpoint, tenth week post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Time commitment can vary from 6 months to 9 months, depending on when participants are screened.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
ECT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California, United States
Intrusive Thoughts
Perceived Stress
Trait Anxiety
Trait Anger
Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-SpEx)
Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction
Ways of Coping
Urinary cortisol levels
Urinary catecholamines
Salivary cortisol levels
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