• Determine the efficacy of the Intervention for those Recently Informed of their Seropositive Status (IRISS) for increasing the frequency and intensity of positive affect in men and women newly diagnosed with HIV. [ Time Frame: During the intervention and at 5- 10- and 15-months after diagnosis. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Effects on outcomes and if increases in positive affect are responsible for improvements; effects of individual facets on affect and outcomes; and, evaluate extent to which personality, se status, race/ethn, & stress level, moderate effects on outcomes. [ Time Frame: At 15 months post diagnosis ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

The study is a randomized controlled trial of a 5-session positive affect skills intervention compared to an attention-matched control condition. Participants will be 200 men and women who have tested positive for HIV within the past 12 weeks. Both intervention and control sessions will be approximately one hour long and will be administered one-on-one by trained facilitators. Both groups will have daily home practice over the 5 weeks of the intervention. At the end of the assessment period, participants in the control condition will have the opportunity to attend a ½ day group session that provides a condensed version of the positive affect skills taught in the intervention condition. Participants will complete assessments at four points and CD4 and viral load assays will be run at 3 time points.