AIDS and homophobia among nurses.

The purpose of this research was to study nurses' attitudes toward homosexuality and caring for homosexual patients. The results reported in this article are a component of a larger study of nurses' knowledge about and attitudes toward caring for patients with AIDS. The sample comprised 581 Registered Nurses residing in Erie County, New York. Data were gathered by mailed questionnaires. Results of the study indicate that issues concerning the care of patients with AIDS may be complicated by the fact that many of these individuals are homosexuals. The results of this research provide data for developing intervention strategies to help nurses cope with their concerns about caring for homosexual patients with AIDS.