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Social Support Provision to HIV‐Infected Gay Men 1
Author(s) -
Collins Rebecca L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1994.tb01579.x
Subject(s) - blame , psychology , homosexuality , social support , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , intervention (counseling) , clinical psychology , social psychology , emotional support , preference , psychiatry , medicine , family medicine , psychoanalysis , economics , microeconomics
The study examined associations between attitudes toward homosexuality, fear of AIDS, blame of persons infected with the HIV‐virus, and social support provision to these individuals. A sample of HIV‐infected gay men reported on the support they receive from specific members of their social networks. These network members then completed questionnaires assessing the predictor variables. Homophobia, homosexual preference, and the interaction of these two variables were positively associated with blame. Blame, together with fear of AIDS and low levels of psychological well‐being, were negatively associated with provision of emotional support. Fear of AIDS was also related to negative changes in the quality of recipients' and providers' relationships. Finally, emotional support was strongly related to adjustment to illness among support recipients. Results suggest important points for intervention to promote adjustment to HIV infection among gay men.