Ethical issues: Social workers and AIDS.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of confidentiality, heterosexism, and homophobia on social workers and other human service workers' levels of comfort in working with persons with AIDS.;The majority of the subjects (87.5%) were female and had a master's degree in social work (66.7%). Twenty-three of the subjects (95.8%) identified themselves as heterosexual, and one subject (4.2%) identified himself/herself as homosexual. The majority of the subjects (54.2%) did not believe that the risk of contracting AIDS was a compelling reason to breach confidentiality. Similarly, 87.5% of the subjects did not believe that homosexuality was a perversion.;A 29-item anonymous questionnaire, containing a Likert scale, was distributed to 24 subjects at four different hospitals in California. The subjects were employed in either the psychiatry, social medicine, or social work department of a hospital.