Volunteers Under Threat: AIDS Hospice Volunteers Compared to Volunteers in a Traditional Hospice

SUMMARY

We studied volunteers in one of the world’s first AIDS-dedicated hospices and compared them on demographic, experiential, and personality related dimensions to volunteers in a traditional hospice. Eighty percent of the active volunteers at each facility participated. Eight of 16 demographic and 4 of 11 personality related variables differentiated the two groups. AIDS hospice volunteers were on all measures a more heterogeneous group — largely gay or bisexual, younger, more likely to have had prior personal experience with AIDS. In addition, they perceived themselves to be functioning under a significantly higher degree of threat caused by their volunteer work. We performed a post hoc analysis controlling for sexual orientation and matching heterosexual volunteers for gender. Threats to health, social world, employment, and total threat significantly differentiated the two heterosexual groups of volunteers.

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Notes on contributors

I. Michael Shuff

I. Michael Shuff, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Indiana State University.

Arthur M. Horne

Arthur M. Horne, PhD, is Chairman and Director of the Department of Training in Counseling Psychology at the University of Georgia.

Nancy G. Westberg

Nancy G. Westberg, Scott P. Mooney, and C.W. Mitchell are all doctoral students in the Department of Psychology, Indiana State University.

Scott P. Mooney

Nancy G. Westberg, Scott P. Mooney, and C.W. Mitchell are all doctoral students in the Department of Psychology, Indiana State University.

C. W. Mitchell

Nancy G. Westberg, Scott P. Mooney, and C.W. Mitchell are all doctoral students in the Department of Psychology, Indiana State University.