Preliminary Validation of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency (MAST) Scale Using a South African Adolescent Sample

Objective:The factor structure of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency (MAST) scale was examined using a sample of non-white South African adolescents. Method: The MAST scale was administered to 205 secondary school students between 13 and 20 years of age. Results: The scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency with alpha values being in line with previous studies using the instrument. Factor analysis confirmed the original four-factor structure of the scale. Strong support was found for the Repulsion by Death (RD) and Attraction to Life (AL) subscales of the instrument; with moderate support for the Atttraction to Death (AD) and Repulsion by Life (RL) subscales. Conclusion: The authors conclude that the generalisability of the MAST can be improved by the inclusion of more culturally relevant items

Compassion or Condemnation? South African Muslim Students' Attitudes to People with HIVetAIDS

Given the dearth of literature on the influence of religiosity on attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS; the present study surveyed these variables in a sample of South African Muslim university students using the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) and an attitude to people with HIV scale. Gender differences in attitudes towards people with HIV were also examined. The sample comprised 90 male and female undergraduate and postgraduate Muslim students. While both males and females displayed high religiosity scores; male students were found to be significantly more religious than female students. No gender differences were found on the attitude to people with HIV scale; with students indicating positive attitudes to people with HIV. Higher religiosity was significantly correlated with a more positive attitude to people with HIV. The implications of the findings are discussed