Abstract:
The primary aim of this study is to investigate the role of self-disclosure (as measured by Hurley's Self-Disclosure Rating) in relation to psychological distress (as measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-R) in asymptomatic HIV-positive long-term survivors. It is surmised that HIV-positive individuals who rate highly on self-disclosure, that is, who 'naturally' and indiscriminately disclose information about themselves, including their seropositive status, will experience higher levels of distress due to stigmatisation and ostracism by others. The implicit assumption is that a high level of distress and anxiety, will further compromise individual immunocompetence and that seropositive individuals who tend toward non-disclosure, resulting in lower levels of psychological distress, will tend to be longer-term survivors.<br><br> Subjects (n = 26) were recruited from the private practices of various General Practitioners. White, HIV-positive, male persons identified as being diagnosed as seropositive for 6 years or longer, participated in the study.<br><br> Results failed to indicate both a statistically significant difference between self- disclosure scores for long-term survivors and the comparison group, and a significant correlation between psychological distress and self-disclosure. Various explanations are discussed in which the source of error involved in the measurement of the self- disclosure construct is highlighted.<br><br> Results suggest that with regard to long-term survivors, there is a significant negative correlation between self-disclosure and hostility, that is, the more self-disclosing, the lower is hostility. This applies equally to paranoid ideation and psychoticism. Furthermore, embededness in a supportive gay network may be a confounding variable when attempting to identify cofactors in HIV disease progression, and may warrant specific focus in future research of psychological factors and outcomes in HIV infection.
