title: HIV Stigma in Prisons and Jails: Results from a Staff Survey.
abstract: With numerous HIV service gaps in prisons and jails, there has been little research on HIV stigma attitudes among correctional staff. Such attitudes may undermine HIV services for inmates at risk of or infected with HIV. This HIV stigma attitudes survey among 218 correctional staff in 32 US facilities (1) provides an overview of staff's stigma attitudes, (2) reports psychometric analyses of domains in Earnshaw and Chaudoir's HIV Stigma Framework (HSF), and (3) explores differences in stigma attitudes among different staff types. Overall, correctional and medical staff expressed non stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS, but perceived that stigma and discrimination exist in others. Factor analyses revealed a three factor structure capturing two mechanisms of the HSF (prejudice, discrimination). Few factor score differences were found by staff type or setting. Implications for correctional HIV services and future research on HIV stigma attitudes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University, 1115 Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA. sbelenko@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dembo
authors.affiliation: Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Copenhaver
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University, 1115 Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.affiliation: Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Swan
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albizu Garcia
authors.affiliation: Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oser
authors.affiliation: NDRI, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pankow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011287:Prejudice; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011330:Prisons; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Correctional staff; Factor analysis; HIV discrimination; HIV stigma; Prisons