Relationship between Religious Coping Styles and Quality of Life in HIV-Positive Patients

Background and AIDS is a disease that not only affects physical health but also mental wellbeing of patients due to the myriad social problems, dominant misconceptions, and social stigma. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between religious coping strategies and quality of life in HIV-positive patients.
This descriptive-correlational study was performed on 105 HIV patients visiting the behavioral counseling centers of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran, in the first half of 2013. The participants were chosen using the convenience sampling method. The data collection instruments included the multidimensional QOL questionnaire for AIDS (MQoL-HIV) and Aflak seir and Goleman’s Religious Coping Styles Questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression.
The results showed a positive relationship between religious coping styles (religious activities, charitable assessment, and active coping) and quality of life, but a negative association was noted between religious coping styles (negative feelings toward God and passive coping) and quality of life. Regression analysis showed that the component of negative feelings toward God (adjusted R2=0.35) plays the greatest role in the quality of life of these patients.
Increased positive religious coping and reduced negative religious coping can improve the quality of life in HIV patients. To promote religious coping, educational programs can be used as a guideline for rehabilitation of these patients.