ABSTRACT
Relationships among behavior, immunological functioning, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) progression are not well understood, but there are reasons to believe that such relationships exist. First, both naturally occurring (Baum, McKinnon, & Silvia, 1987; Glaser et al., 1987; Irwin, Daniels, Bloom, Smith, & Weiner, 1987; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 1987; Patterson, Grant, & McClurg, 1988) and experimentally induced stressors (Borysenko & Borysenko, 1982; Monjan & Collector, 1977; Shavit & Martin, 1987) have been linked to immune function. Second, behavioral interventions, such as relaxation training (Gruber, Hall, Hersh, & Dubois, in press; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 1985, 1986) and aerobic exercise (Watson et al., 1986), have also been related to changes in immune parameters. Third, suggestive evidence has accrued associating psychosocial stress with the progression of HIV-1 infection (Cecchi, 1984; Coates, Temoshok, & Mandel, 1984; Donlou, Wolcott, Gottlieb, & Landsverk, 1985; Solomon & Temoshok, 1987). With these findings in mind, it appears reasonable to assess the extent to which behavioral interventions enhance immune function in subjects at high risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and thereby either prevent seroconversion or retard the progression of HIV-1 infection from an asymptomatic stage to AIDS-related complex (ARC) and/or AIDS symptomatology.
