ABSTRACT
In both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AIDS, family members vary in their perceptions of the individual's ability to control his or her cognitive or behavioral functioning. Family members who believe that the behaviors are unintentional generally experience less distress than do family members who believe that the individual has control over his or her thoughts or behaviors. The manifestations of intellectual and cognitive dysfunction of AD and AIDS are strikingly similar. Impairments of memory, concentration, and abstract thinking; confusion and disorientation; and slowed mental capacities are among the shared symptomatology, and may eventually become the catalysts for family caregiving. It is imperative that clinicians and researchers collaborate in further investigation in order to ease the burden on family caregivers and facilitate adaptations of caregiving methods.
Subject(s)
AIDS Dementia Complex/nursing , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/nursing , Alzheimer Disease/nursing , AIDS Dementia Complex/psychology , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/psychology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Nursing AssessmentABSTRACT
This article describes the psychological distress experienced by family members living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Survey data were collected from 133 individuals, (47 parents, 53 siblings, 33 adult family members who have HIV/AIDS) representing 80 families. In-depth interview and observational data were collected from a subset of the sample. The physical and psychological health of individual family members was assessed by the 53-item Brief Symptom Inventory. Parents, siblings, and people living with AIDS (PWAs) reported higher levels of overall distress and scored higher on symptom dimensions and clinically discrete symptoms than normative comparison groups. Implications of these findings for research, clinical practice, and health and social service policy are identified and discussed.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Family/psychology , HIV Infections , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Adult , Aged , Emotions , Family Health , Female , Health Policy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Methodology Research , Sampling Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Stress, Psychological/diagnosis , Stress, Psychological/nursing , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The results of this study suggest that a pamphlet on genetic counseling can be an effective method of providing information to couples obtaining a marriage license. The negative emotional effects of the pamphlet appear to be minimal and the recipients retained important knowledge and information. Questions not answered by this pilot study include 1) the effectiveness of leaving pamphlets on a counter in a well-designed display that would attract peoples' attention; 2) whether or not providing information on genetic services increases the referral rate to genetic centers; and 3) whether the difference in the reported prior knowledge level was an artifact or real.