 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Kenneth C. Hergenrather, PhD, MSEd, MRC, CRC, Department of Counseling/Human and Organizational Studies, The George Washington University, 2134 G Street, NW, #318, Washington, DC 20052, 202/994-1334, hergenkc@gwu.edu, Scott D. Rhodes, PhD, MPH, CHES, Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Section on Social Sciences and Health Policy, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, and Glenn Clark, MSW, LICSW, Acting Director of Behavioral, Health, and Social Services, Whitman-Walker Clinic, 1701 14th ST. NW., Washington, DC 20009.
Background: For individuals living with HIV/AIDS, employment has been reported as one of the most significant contributions to successfully living with their illness. In the US, health-enhancing protease inhibitors have contributed to the increase of individuals living with HIV/AIDS who seek services to enter or re-enter the workplace. This study was developed to enhance our understanding of the psychosocial factors that affect successful job placement for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Methods: The Employment Interest Survey (EIS) was completed by a sample of individuals receiving medical services at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC, (WWC). Annually, WWC provides services to more than 6,700 individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The EIS is a self-administered, open-ended survey, founded in the theory of planned behavior, to assess an individual's behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about employment.
Results: Among the 251 study participants, findings identified (a) beliefs about the impact of employment on: health status, eligibility for financial assistance, family role, and sense of self; (b) individuals and support systems most influential in their decision to work; and, (c) facilitators and barriers to: develop job seeking skills, secure childcare, ensure transportation to and from work, and sustain current levels of financial assistance and medical coverage.
Conclusions: Because of widening use of protease inhibitors and the lengthening time period between an AIDS diagnosis and morbidity and mortality, an urgent need exists to understand workplace entry and re-entry barriers to placement in job settings that may affect an individual’s self-worth and disease progression. Interventions to enhance job placement services also will be presented.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Workforce
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.