The purposes of this study were to examine loneliness in men with AIDS over a 6-month period and relate the extent of loneliness to the development of infections. Psychoneuroimmunology theory suggests that emotional distress alters immune response. It was believed that loneliness would increase vulnerability to infection. A convenience sample of 31 veterans participated in the study. Although there were no significant changes in loneliness over the 6-month period for the total sample, gay men had a significant increase (P greater than .03) in loneliness related to romantic sexual attachment. Despite an average of 3.4 infections over the 6-month period, there was no relationship between development of infection and loneliness. Factor analysis was performed for the demographic and study variables. The three factors identified from the study variables were loneliness, social support, and vitality.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Adult