The role of personal contact with HIV-infected people in explaining urban, African American preadolescents' attitudes toward peers with HIV/AIDS.
This article presents the results of a study aimed at describing African American youths' attitudes toward peers with HIV/AIDS and identifying correlates of these attitudes based on the contact theory. Baseline data from a sample of African American, urban mothers and their youth (n = 197) participating in a family-based HIV prevention program were analyzed. In support of contact theory, preadolescents' close relationship to persons infected with HIV/AIDS was highly related to their attitudes. However, no relationship was found between maternal attitudes or communication variables and youth attitudes. The implications of youths' experience with persons with HIV/AIDS as part of prevention programming are discussed.
Schiff
Miriam
M
School of Social Work, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
McKay
Mary
M
Bell
Carl
C
Baptiste
Donna
D
Madison
Sybil
S
Paikoff
Roberta
R
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011287:Prejudice; D014505:Urban Population