Coping style in relation to the consumption of factor concentrate in HIV-infected hemophiliacs during the years after their infection became known.

A psychosocial investigation offered to all HIV-infected men with moderately severe or severe hemophilia in Sweden was made in 1986. Most of these men had been infected in the years 1980-1984 and told about their own infection in 1985. A noninfected group of hemophiliacs was used as a reference group in the psychosocial investigation. A psychosocial prognosis was made on the basis of the coping style observed by means of the Coping Wheel. Among subjects who showed evidence of a passive-pessimistic copying style, there was a significant decrease in the number of factor concentrate units received in 1987 and 1988. Among subjects in the group with a more active-optimistic coping style, there was a tendency of increasing the use of factor concentrate during the years after the HIV-infection became known. This result indicates that awareness of HIV-infection may influence specific hemophilia behavior among subjects with passive-depressed copying style.