Socio-demographic profile as correlates to attachment styles, sexual risk, and its coping strategies : basis for holistic wellness program / Josephine B. Samudio. 6

Thesis (M.A.)-- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2018.;A thesis proposal presented to the faculty of the College of Science- Graduate Program in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Psychology major in Clinical Psychology. 56

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ABSTRACT: The current study aimed to find the socio-demographic profile as correlates with attachment styles, sexual risk, and its coping strategies to be the basis of holistic wellness program for people living with HIV. Evidently, HIV has been of the fastest rising epidemic in world, and the Philippines is regarded as one of the top countries in Asia that recorded to have the highest HIV infection growth with 29 new HIV cases daily as of 2017 and 82% of reported new cases were among males who have sex with males. This inspired the researcher to make a study about people living with HIV and find out if attachment styles affect their risky sexual behavior together with its coping strategies. The research study utilized a descriptive correlational method that help identified the attachment styles, sexual risk behavior and coping strategies of 100 respondents living with HIV, that acquired the disease through MSM with the age group of 18 to 35 years old. The researcher used three (3) standardized test namely: Experience Closed Relationship-Revised, Brief Sexual Attitude Scale, and Ways of Coping, and one (1) socio-demographic questionnaire to gather the respondents' socio-economic status, age, educational attainment, and nature of work. Findings of this study revealed that the respondents manifested high in attachment-related anxiety and high in attachment related avoidance. PLHI had a moderately high score in communion and condom use and utilized positive reappraisal as their top coping strategy. Socio-demographic profile showed no significant relationship with attachment-related anxiety and attachment-related avoidance. However, age showed significant relationship with permissiveness and instrumentality. In addition, result also presented that condom use has a significant relationship with socio-economic status and educational attainment. Attachment-related anxiety showed no significant relationship with sexual risk behavior. On the other hand, attachment-related avoidance presented to have no significant relationship with coping strategies. Attachment-related avoidance showed significant relationship with seeking social support. Sexual risk behavior such as communion, instrumentality and condom use has no significant relationship with coping strategies. While, permissiveness showed significant relationship with confrontive coping. The conclusion derived from the study presented that: PLHIV with high in both anxiety and avoidance attachment were not the result of being a low income earner, nor influenced by age, education and nature of work. PLHIV who are young adults tend to be less permissive in engaging in risky sexual activities. PLHIV that came from the low income earners still practiced safe sex in order to protect reputation, especially majority of them are educated. Due to maturity, PLHIV appeared to be less accommodating towards risky sexual behavior and still hopeful in seeking serious type of relationship. PLHIV who are attachment avoidance still seek support by being selective as to whom to trust with and preferred to be involved in a smaller group. PLHIV have manifested the tendency to aggressive as their coping strategy in order to maintain exclusive relationship with their primary partners. The recommendations were as follows: The implementation of the proposed Holistic Wellness Program would be helpful to the PLHIVs' self enhancement and family relationship. PLHIV should improve their self-worth and self-respect by being mindful, removing negative thoughts and replacing it with positive ones. PLHIV should also improve harmonious relationship with their family. Open communication within the family of PLHIV should be encouraged.

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