A bereavement support group intervention affects plasma burden of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Report of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the potential impact of a bereavement support group on plasma viral load. METHODS: A randomly selected subsample of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-positive homosexual men participating in a controlled clinical trial of a bereavement support group intervention was studied. The intervention consisted of one 90-minute group session per week for 10 weeks. The plasma HIV-1 RNA copy number was measured at baseline and after intervention (10 weeks) by the Roche AMPLICOR assay. RESULTS: There was a significant effect of the intervention on the change on the plasma HIV-1 RNA copy number (limited control model, beta = -0.49, p = 0.02; extended control model, beta = -0.37, p = 0.01), independent of antiretroviral therapies; prophylactic therapies against potentially lethal HIV-1 associated conditions; CD4 cell count; viral load; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical disease stage at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Bereavement support group interventions may prove to be not only a primary therapy for psychologic distress after bereavement but also an adjunctive therapy for sustained control of plasma viral load in conjunction with highly active antiretroviral therapy in this population.