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Abstract
The aims of the current study were to (1) describe a spirituality-oriented, group pilot intervention for HIV-positive adults, and (2) examine the preliminary impact of the intervention among a sample (N = 13) of adults living with HIV in an urban city in northeast United States. The 8-session intervention, based on the cognitive theory of stress and coping and the framework of spiritual coping, addressed stressors unique to HIV disease. Changes in spiritual coping and mental health were evaluated using a within group pretest-posttest design. Results revealed that, at post-intervention, participants reported higher self-rated religiosity, more use of positive spiritual coping, lower use of negative spiritual coping, and lower depression. Studies using a randomized, controlled design with larger samples of individuals with HIV are needed to determine the efficacy of a spiritual intervention when compared to a secular one.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a developmental grant awarded to Nalini Tarakeshwar, and grants P30-MH62294 (Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS; CIRA) and T32-MH20031 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors gratefully acknowledge our community collaboration with the Nathan Smith Clinic in New Haven. In particular, we would like to thank Drs. Krstyn Wagner and Gerald Friedland for their support and guidance.