Factors associated with student nurses' intent to provide physical and psychosocial care to persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

This project examined the influence of selected factors on student nurses' intent to provide physical and psychosocial care to persons hospitalized with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Respondents were 125 undergraduate upper division nursing majors attending a state-supported university. Questionnaires were distributed to student mailboxes and were returned anonymously through the United States Postal Service. All factors were correlated with intent to provide physical care and with intent to provide psychosocial care using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. For both intention scales, attitude toward a person with AIDS acquired through homosexual activity and attitude toward a person with AIDS acquired through sharing needles were positively related to intent to provide care. Homophobia, fear of AIDS, and perceived susceptibility toward acquiring human immunodeficiency virus from providing care were inversely related. These findings are useful for designing programs that promote the delivery of compassionate nursing care to persons with AIDS.