AIDS family caregiving: transitions through uncertainty
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
1School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of AIDS family caregiving. Grounded theory provided the methodological basis for qualitative data generation and analysis. Extensive interviews were conducted with 53 individuals (lovers, spouses, parents of either adults or children with AIDS, siblings, and friends) who were taking care of a person with AIDS at home. Relevant features of the social context of AIDS family caregiving were explored. Findings revealed the basic social psychological problem of Uncertainty, a core category of Transitions Through Uncertainty, and five subcategories: Managing and Being Managed by the Illness; Living With Loss and Dying; Renegotiating the Relationship; Going Public; and Containing the Spread of HIV. Stages and strategies of each subcategory detailed individuals' responses to the challenges of AIDS family caregiving and elaborated the day-to-day experiences. Uncertainty as a critical challenge for individuals and families facing life-threatening illness is discussed in light of recent research.
Related Concept Videos
Continuing Care
Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Kubler Ross's Stages of Dying
In denial, individuals reject the reality of their condition, often thinking, "This isn't true; I feel fine," as a way to protect themselves from emotional distress. Anger...
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
