Abstract
In a cohort of gay men responding to the threat of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), dispositional optimism was associated with less distress, less avoidant coping, positive attitudes as a coping strategy, and fewer AIDS-related concerns. Men who knew they were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were significantly more optimistic about not developing AIDS than men who knew they were seronegative for HIV. This AIDS-specific optimism was related to higher perceived control over AIDS and to active coping among seropositive men only and to health behaviors in both serostatus groups. There was no relation of optimism to risk-related sexual behavior. It is concluded that optimism is psychologically adaptive without necessarily compromising health behavior. It is also concluded that it is useful to distinguish between event-based optimistic expectations and dispositional optimism.
Keywords
OptimismSerostatusPsychologyCoping (psychology)DistressClinical psychologyHomosexualityHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)MedicineSocial psychologyImmunologyViral load
MeSH Terms
AIDS SerodiagnosisAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAdaptationPsychologicalAttitude to HealthBisexualityHIV SeropositivityHealth BehaviorHealth KnowledgeAttitudesPracticeHomosexualityHumansMalePersonality InventoryRisk FactorsSexual Behavior
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Seroconversion, sexual activity, and condom use among 2915 HIV seronegative men followed for up to 2 years.
A cohort of 2915 HIV-1-seronegative men from the four centers of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) was followed at 6 month intervals for 24 months to identify men who dev...
Prognosis in HIV-1 Infection Predicted by the Quantity of Virus in Plasma
The relation between viremia and clinical outcome in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) has important implications for therapeutic research an...
High Levels of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Blood and Semen of Seropositive Men in Sub‐Saharan Africa
High levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication, as reflected in HIV-1 RNA concentrations in blood and semen, probably contribute to both rapid disease pr...
Rethinking the heterosexual infectivity of HIV-1: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Studies of cumulative HIV incidence suggest that cofactors such as genital ulcer disease, HIV disease stage, and male circumcision influence HIV transmission; however, the heter...
The Social Organization of Sexuality-Reply
<h3>In Reply.</h3> —Drs Haverkos and Drotman assert in their second paragraph that our conclusion regarding the negligible likelihood of an epidemic spread of HIV in the heteros...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1992
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 460-473
- Citations
- 505
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
505
OpenAlex
24
Influential
361
CrossRef
Cite This
Shelley E. Taylor,
Margaret E. Kemeny,
Lisa G. Aspinwall
et al.
(1992).
Optimism, coping, psychological distress, and high-risk sexual behavior among men at risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)..
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 63
(3)
, 460-473.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.63.3.460
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1037//0022-3514.63.3.460
- PMID
- 1403625