Exploring Stress, Forgiveness, and Quality of Life for Individuals Living With HIV and in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders

Research focused on individuals living with HIV, or recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs), suggests that these individuals may experience a poorer quality of life (QOL) than the general population. Further, conflicting views exist regarding the psychosocial impact of living with multiple chronic health conditions. This study aimed to understand how individuals evaluated their QOL, forgiveness, and stress in relation to their HIV status and recovery status. A two-way between-groups MANOVA was performed to investigate the effects of HIV and recovery status on QOL, forgiveness, and perceived stress, followed by a series of univariate tests to explore the interaction of HIV and recovery status on QOL, forgiveness, and perceived stress. Findings from this study suggest that persons living with both of these chronic conditions may not be doing as poorly as previous literature may indicate, particularly when considering the intersection of HIV and recovery from SUDs. Clinical implications for rehabilitation counselors are discussed.