SOCIAL SUPPORT AND BARRIERS TO FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN CAREGIVING FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS - IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT EDUCATION

If efforts to promote family involvement in patient education and othe r caregiving activities for people with AIDS (PWAs) are to be successf ul, clinicians need information concerning PWAs' family network and th e barriers PWAs face in obtaining support. Using data from interviews with 224 PWAs in New York City, we assessed the size and composition o f their family network and the self-identified barriers to support. Ov erall, respondents mentioned having an average of less than two source s of close support. Women relied on children for support more than men did. Male injection drug users and men reporting sex with men relied on friends and traditional family almost equally, while men at risk fo r HIV via heterosexual contact relied more on traditional family sourc es. Barriers to support included interpersonal costs, lack of access, lack of acceptance, lack of intimacy, negative interactions and fear o f disclosure. Health professionals need to conduct comprehensive netwo rk assessments with PWAs in order to determine the full scope of suppo rt resources available to each patient. Educational initiatives that p rovide information about family conflict resolution and the course and transmission of HIV may assist in alleviating these barriers. Clinici ans can facilitate family involvement in patient education by addressi ng the informational needs that are salient to both PWAs' and their fa mily caregivers.