| Popis: |
Even in the HAART era, the search for effective psychotherapeutic interventions continues, because psychosocial factors have a decisive impact on the biomarkers of an HIV infection, and patients continue to respond to treatment in a number of different ways. The presented study from 1990 to 1993 examines the impact of outpatient group therapy on the mental and physical well-being of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in the early stages of the illness. The group concept focused on supportive-cognitive interventions and beneficially correlated stabilising and confronting elements. The intervention period was 4 months, with a follow-up after another 4 months. In the therapy group, well-being was significantly improved in comparison to the untreated group, while the immune status remained stable. In the pre-post comparison, a protective effect of the group therapy on illness management was evident in the responses to a stress interview. An adaptive response controlled by the sympathetic nervous system was found at the immunological level. This response matched that of an HIV-negative control group and is of interest for the understanding of somatization processes. |
