Positive Coping as a Mediator of Mobile Health Intervention Effects on Quality of Life Among People Living With HIV: Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Trial Run4Love

• Main Authors: Yu Zeng (Author), Yan Guo (Author), Rainbow Tin Hung Ho (Author), Mengting Zhu (Author), Chengbo Zeng (Author), Aliza Monroe-Wise (Author), Yiran Li (Author), Jiaying Qiao (Author), Hanxi Zhang (Author), Weiping Cai (Author), Linghua Li (Author), Cong Liu (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: JMIR Publications, 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1438-8871; 10.2196/25948
• Keywords: Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; R858-859.7; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol 24, Iss 2, p e25948 (2022)

BackgroundThe effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on quality of life (QOL) among people living with HIV has been validated, including mobile health (mHealth) interventions. However, it is unclear which components of such interventions account for these effects. ObjectiveThis study aims to examine positive coping as a potential mediator of the effects of an mHealth intervention on QOL among people living with HIV. MethodsFor this secondary analysis, we used data from an mHealth-based randomized controlled trial, Run4Love, which was conducted to improve QOL and mental health outcomes of people living with HIV. A total of 300 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group to receive the adapted cognitive-behavioral stress management courses and regular physical activity promotion or the waitlist control group in a 1:1 ratio. Our analysis focused on positive coping and QOL, which were repeatedly measured at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-ups. Latent growth curve models were constructed to explore the mediating role of positive coping in the effects of the mHealth intervention on QOL. ResultsPositive coping served as a mediator in the effect of the mHealth intervention on QOL for up to 9 months. The mHealth intervention had a significant and positive indirect effect on the slope of QOL via the slope of positive coping (b=2.592×1.620=4.198, 95% CI 1.189-7.207, P=.006). The direct effect of the intervention was not significant (b=0.552, 95% CI −2.154 to 3.258, P=.69) when controlling for the mediator. ConclusionsThe longitudinal findings suggest that positive coping could be a crucial mediator of the mHealth intervention in enhancing QOL among people living with HIV. These findings underscore the importance of improving positive coping skills in mHealth interventions to improve QOL among people living with HIV.