“…Now, it is not an illness of exclusively hospital care, but involves an important role for families in continuous care and in maintenance of the treatment plan (Figueiredo, 1997;Moriya, Gir, & Mieko, 1995;Widman, Light, & Platt, 1994;Xavier, Leite, Braga, & Nunes, 1997). Foley, Skurnick, Kennedy, Valentin, & Louria, (1994) were the pioneers who rst mentioned the burden experienced by families with a member with AIDS. In Brazil, there are few studies dealing with socialpsychologica l problems experienced by populations involved with the AIDS epidemic, and most of these studied students and health professionals (e.g., Figueiredo, Souza, & Moraes, 1993;Figueiredo, 1994Figueiredo & Turato, 1995).…”