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Research Article
Issue Date: March 01, 1990
Published Online: June 03, 2014
Updated: June 13, 2018
Assessing the Impact of HIV Disease
Beth Dinah Weinstein
Author Affiliations
  • Beth Dinah Weinstein, OTS, is a graduate student in the Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Puget Sound, 1500 North Warner, Tacoma, Washington 98416
Article Information
Research
Research Article   |   March 01, 1990
Assessing the Impact of HIV Disease
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March 1990, Vol. 44, 220-226. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.3.220
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March 1990, Vol. 44, 220-226. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.3.220
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Abstract

This article presents a definition of HIV disease as a four-stage process. The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) (Bergner, Bobbitt, Carter, & Gilson, 1981) was used to measure behavioral dysfunction in a sample of 15 persons with Stage 3 or Stage 4 (symptomatic) HIV disease.

The areas of work, leisure, cognitive behavior, and emotional behavior were found to be, on the average, most affected by HIV disease. A diagnosis of AIDS does not affect the severity of dysfunction. Functional deficits that are experienced for longer periods of time affect several behavioral categories on the SIP as well as on the overall SIP score.