Coping with the possibility of testing HIV-positive

This study examined the relationship between the coping styles of monitoring and blunting, and emotional distress in individuals confronted with the possibility of being HIV infected. A sample of 200 men and 49 women undergoing an HIV antibody test were administered measures of emotional distress and asked to predict whether the result of their test would be positive or negative. All of these subjects subsequently tested seronegative. In subjects who predicted the result of their HIV test to be positive, those high or low on both monitoring and blunting experienced substantial emotional distress. However, subjects who used primarily either a monitoring or a blunting coping style and predicted their HIV test result to be positive experienced a moderate level of distress. The results suggest that individuals who do not use a specific coping style, or attempt to use two conflicting coping styles at once may cope ineffectively and feel more emotional distress when confronted with a health threat.