ABSTRACT
Advances in antiretroviral treatments have dramatically increased the life spans of those infected with the Human Immunodefi ciency Virus (HIV), such that clinicians now treat it as a chronic condition rather than terminal disease (e.g., Burgoyne, Rourke, Behrens, & Salit, 2004). Clinical and social scientifi c emphasis subsequently has expanded beyond the study of purely biomedical concerns to now encompass the complete gamut of issues inherent to the HIV experience. Guided by the biopsychosocial model of health (Engel, 1977, 1980), researchers are now striving to better understand factors that may infl uence the psychological and social well-being of people living with HIV (PLWHIV).
