Social Workers' Self-Efficacy and Comfort Providing Services for HIV-Affected Children

Abstract

As HIV/AIDS prevalence rates continue to rise in the United States, social workers will serve HIV-affected families for years to come. Researchers now consider HIV to be a "family disease"; thus, the children of HIV-positive parents face challenges and uncertainty about their futures. This study describes 46 social workers' perceptions of self-efficacy and comfort providing future care and custody services. Findings reveal that HIV/AIDS information gained through evidence-based sources was significantly correlated with social workers' knowledge and comfort providing services. Social workers' perceived self-efficacy was significantly correlated with perceptions of comfort providing future care and custody services. Self-reported definitions of future care and custody were multidimensional but not uniform. It is recommended that social workers providing HIV-related services to families obtain empirically based training. Schools of social work and professional organizations can play critical roles in disseminating best practices in the evolving area of HIV/AIDS and the family.