Adolescents and parental aids death: The role of social support

Adolescents who lose a parent to AIDS often deal with an aura of secrecy which hinders opportunities to receive social support and their abilities to cope with their loss (Nagler, Adnopoz, & Forsyth, 1995). A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between social support and coping strategies, gender, and likelihood of reporting a parent's cause of death as AIDS. Participants included fifteen males and five females, between the ages of eleven and seventeen years, who had one or both parents die from AIDS. Results indicate that higher amounts of support are related to greater numbers of coping strategies, and a greater likelihood of reporting a parent's cause of death as AIDS. Female adolescents reported a greater number of coping strategies than male adolescents. Implications of the findings are discussed.