Vulnerabilities and caregiving in an ethnically diverse HIV-infected population

The current study aimed to identify the primary informal caregivers of a group of urban HIV+ adults (n = 250) and to determine relationships between demographic, medical, and substance use characteristics and caregivers types. Reported caregiver types included 36.8% familial, 22.4% significant other, and 22.8% institutional or other caregiver relationships. The remaining 18% of the sample reported having no individual that rendered informal care. Factors associated with the absence of an informal caregiver included African American race and low education. Hispanic participants reported the highest frequency of family caregivers while participants with a history of substance disorder were less likely to identify a significant other as a caregiver. This study demonstrates the evolving nature of informal caregiving in HIV, race- and education-related disparities in the absence of primary caregivers, and the importance of sociocultural and demographic factors in the study of HIV caregiving.