ABSTRACT
We have conceptualized the human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) infection as a chronic disease whose clinical course may be influenced by a wide array of psychosocial and biological factors (Antoni, 1991; Antoni et al., 1990). Because more effective medical treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 infection is becoming available, there is now a fast-growing population of infected individuals who are coping with the complex and multiple psychosocial demands of a chronic life-threatening illness (Antoni, 1991). Homosexual men comprise a large majority of HIV-1 infected individuals in the United States. These men face lifestyle-associated social stigmas in addition to the direct burdens of the HIV-1 infection and from a research standpoint, endure many of the psychosocial phenomena previously associated with impairments in the immune system.
