Effectiveness of a Telephone-Delivered Behavioral Treatment to Improve the Quality of Life of Older Adults With HIV

Telephone-administered coping improvement therapy is aimed to improve coping in older adults living with HIV/AIDS. Participants will partake in 12 weekly conference calls lasting approximately 90 minutes each. Six to eight participants and two group facilitators will be connected via telephone each week. Separate conference call groups will be conducted for men who have sex with men, heterosexual men, and women. Cognitive behavioral principles will be used to evaluate stressor severity, develop problem- and emotion-focused coping skills, determine the relationship between coping strategies and stressor controllability, and optimize coping through use of social support resources. Between weekly sessions, participants will also work to improve coping abilities on their own.

Telephone-administered supportive-expressive therapy is aimed to improve relationships with friends, family members, and health care providers. Participants in will partake in 12 weekly conference calls lasting approximately 90 minutes each. Six to eight participants and two group facilitators will be connected via telephone each week. Separate conference call groups will be conducted for men who have sex with men, heterosexual men, and women. The first 60 minutes of each session will focus on discussing topics believed to be of interest to older adults with HIV and providing up-to-date information related to living with HIV/AIDS. The last 30 minutes of each session will be devoted to discussing topics raised by the group.

Participants will receive no active treatment, but will have access to community-based support services that are commonly available to people living with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, participants who experience pronounced periods of emotional crisis and request assistance will be provided with brief, individual, telephone-based therapy by study clinicians.