Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome in patient management. This study evaluated the quality of life (QOL) and coping strategies for 241 HIV/AIDS patients receiving care at the Enugu state teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu, Nigeria. The patients were assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Version (WHO-QOL-BREF) and a stress coping strategy questionnaire. Results were presented as frequency and percentages. The mean age of the patients was 36 years; 64.7% were females and 95% of the patient have had one formal education or the other. The overall QOL was assessed by checking the QOL in the different domains; the physical domain, the psychological domain, the level of independence, the environment domain, the social domain and the religion/spirituality/belief domain. Significant differences were observed in all domains among the patients. From the study, demographic variables like gender of patient, level of education, marital status and HIV serostatus affects the overall QOL as well as the coping strategy employed by these patients. The highest QOL was found in the level of spirituality/religion/belief domain while the lowest level of QOL was found in the Social domain. The patients that employed the problem focused coping strategy reported a higher quality of life when compared to those that employed emotional focused coping strategy.

Keywords: Quality of Life, Coping Strategies, HIV/AIDS