Family members' willingness to care for people with AIDS: a psychosocial assessment model

Abstract

This article presents a model for assessing psychosocial factors that influence family members' willingness to care for people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Factors that may influence willingness to care include caregiver resources and coping characteristics, the degree to which the person with AIDS is held accountable for the illness, perceived adequacy of social support, familial obligation and affection, fears of acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus, perceptions of self-efficacy, acceptance of homosexuality, and family stigma resulting from the high-risk profile of people with AIDS. Implications for service planning and delivery are discussed.