Of the 581 men screened, 197 were enrolled. Subjects were homosexual men, aged 18 to 65 years, who lost a close friend or intimate partner to AIDS during the prior 6 months and rated the loss with a significant, negative impact. English-language fluency was required for group participation and assessment. Recruitment was through local media advertisements, fliers in settings with homosexual clienteles, and referrals from our community liaison group. Of the 384 screened but not enrolled, 216 did not meet trial entry criteria, 111 declined, and 57 were lost to follow-up contact. For decliners, the extensive study commitment required was the principal reason (n=83; 74.8%). Trial exclusion criteria were, in descending order: no loss of a significant other within 6 months, 87 (40.3%); prescribed medications at doses significantly affecting immune function (eg, daily use of oral corticosteroids), 54 (25.0%); CD4 cell count less than 0.05×109/L (50 cells/mm3) (related to expected longevity), 28 (12.9%); heterosexual preference, 16 (7.4%); current or recent (within the past 6 months) alcohol or substance dependence (as defined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R: Non-Patient Version for HIV Studies [SCID-NP-HIV17]), 9 (4.2%); lack of fluency in English, 6 (2.8%); other excluded psychopathological conditions (past or current major psychiatric disorder, eg, HIV-1–associated dementia, psychosis, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder with melancholia), also defined by the SCID-NP-HIV,17 4 (1.8%); intravenous substance use within 2 years, 4 (1.8%); age, 3 (1.4%); surgery in prior 6 months, 3 (1.4%); smoking history of more than 50 pack-years (for study immune outcomes across the foregoing 3 criteria), 1 (0.5%); and participation in blinded clinical antiretroviral medication trials, 1 (0.5%). Subjects signed informed consent forms approved by our institutional review board and were then randomized using a sealed envelope. Subjects were encouraged to begin new antiretroviral regimens 1 month prior to enrollment, if they had not previously been prescribed antiretroviral medications or required regimen changes. Antiretroviral medication use was expected to remain constant throughout the trial, when appropriate.