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Responding to AIDS: Psychosocial Initiatives

NCJ Number
113296
Editor(s)
C G Leukefeld, M Fimbres
Date Published
1987
Length
95 pages
Annotation
These papers examine psychosocial issues associated with AIDS and AIDS-related complex (ARC) and discusses the services, professional roles, and training required to meet the psychosocial needs of individuals, families, and communities.
Abstract
An overview is presented of incidence and prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control, together with projections for large increases by 1991. The challenge of AIDS for social workers individually and the profession as a whole is discussed. Two general categories of psychosocial research are reviewed to elucidate the impact of psychological factors on health and the effects of an AIDS or ARC diagnosis on victims' psychological and social circumstances. Psychosocial studies, predominantly of gay males, have emphasized the stress they experience, and the importance of support systems in dealing with it. A joint AIDS program offered by San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California is described. The informational, medical, concrete service and therapeutic needs of AIDS and ARC patients are discussed. Public policy implications of these needs also are addressed. Special issues in working with families of AIDS patients are discussed as they relate to nontraditional relationships, stigma, confronting homosexuality, and fear of transmission. Case management tasks are considered and illustrated in case examples. The devastating effects of AIDS on women and children are illustrated in two case studies. Sociocultural factors in psychosocial interventions with Asians, blacks, and Hispanics are delineated. Finally, social and psychological barriers to treatment are discussed. Chapter notes and references.

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