Objectives. Explore and describe the impact of premature life-threatening illness, stigma, multiple loss of significant others, decreased vocational choice and mobility and decreased financial security among young gay men living with AIDS. It was hypothesized that young gay men with AIDS and the elderly experience similar physical, social, and psychological changes, but the cognitive adaptation to these changes are hindered by the non-normative timing of these events. / Methods. Thirty-two self-identified gay men with AIDS between the ages of 22 to 44 years were recruited from an out-patient clinic in Montreal. These participants were asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire, which assessed the respondent's daily stress, impact of HIV, health-related quality of life, ways of coping, multiple loss, dependency on informal and formal supports, and preparation for death. Quantitative methods were used to analyse the data. / Results. The hypothesis was confirmed. Respondents reported relatively low levels of health-related quality of life, significant concern over health and financial security, considerable multiple loss, increased dependency on informal and formal supports, proportionally greater use of active coping strategies, and significant concern about discrimination. / Conclusions. A comprehensive method of intervention which addresses all of the biopsychosocial aspects to care is proposed. It is suggested that a coordinated multidisiciplinary approach to clinical and research endeavors should be adopted to address the multidimensional obstacles facing young gay men with AIDS.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.20942 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Bourgeois, Chantal G. |
| Contributors | Rowe, William (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Social Work (School of Social Work.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001642286, proquestno: MQ50697, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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