HIV/AIDS and health care workers: contact with patients and attitudes towards them.
Data on a range of variables associated with contact with patients with HIV/AIDS and attitudes towards them were collected from 174 Scottish health care workers. Measures of attitudes and contact (overall, social and physical) were derived from the scales devised by Pleck et al. (1988). The measure of overall contact was not significantly related to attitudes, but those with predominantly social contact with patients with HIV/AIDS had more positive attitudes towards them. This relationship was moderated by occupational characteristics, concern about working with people of unknown HIV status and neuroticism. With all these variables controlled, including social contact, those who had not received in-service training relating to HIV/AIDS had more negative attitudes. The results are discussed with regard to the measurement of social contact with patients, salient beliefs, the occupational characteristics associated with attitudes, and in-service education.
Knussen
C
C
Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland.
Niven
C A
CA
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology / Q000635:transmission; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology / Q000635:transmission; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D007318:Inservice Training; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012606:Scotland