Trauma and growth in Canadian carers.
The phenomenon of post-traumatic growth has been explored within the context of HIV disease in only a limited fashion. One hundred and seventy-six bereaved HIV/AIDS carers located all over Canada responded to a questionnaire about their experiences; 51.7% of these individuals were male, 46% were female and 2.3% were transgender. The range of deaths experienced was from 0 to 110. Forty-four per cent of the carers were themselves HIV-positive. Of all the HIV carers in this study, 86.4% of them exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite this, 81.8% had scores high enough to be indicative of post-traumatic growth. This study provides a portrait of bereaved HIV carers in Canada and both the positive and negative realities associated with that situation.
Cadell
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School of Social Work and Family Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. scadell@interchange.ubc.ca
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D001601:Bereavement; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012961:Sociology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires