Cognitive Appraisal, Coping, and Psychological Wellbeing Among Persons Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

The psychological well-being of persons living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy is shaped by cognitive appraisals of illness threat and the coping strategies employed to manage treatment demands and social stigma. In Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, this triadic relationship between appraisal, coping, and well-being among PLHIV has not been empirically examined. This study investigates the relationships among cognitive appraisal, coping strategies, and psychological well-being among PLHIV attending ART clinics in Ilorin. A cross-sectional survey is applied to 240 adults on ART for at least six months, recruited through consecutive sampling from two ART facilities. The Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, the Brief COPE, and Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being are administered alongside a questionnaire capturing viral load category, ART duration, and disclosure status. Structural equation modelling in AMOS tests both direct and indirect pathways from appraisal to well-being through coping. Literature from North Central Nigerian HIV psychology identifies benign primary appraisal and problem-focused coping as the combination most predictive of high psychological well-being among PLHIV. The Transactional Stress and Coping Model and the Self-Regulation Theory provide the theoretical framework. Findings fill an empirical gap in the ART adherence and well-being literature from North Central Nigeria, informing integrated psychological support for HIV clinics in Kwara State. Keywords: cognitive appraisal, coping, HIV, psychological well-being, Kwara State.