Measuring medical and nursing students' attitudes toward AIDS.

Investigated attitudes toward AIDS patients among medical and nursing students. Two separate cohorts of students (total N = 550) were surveyed to examine and then validate with confirmatory factor analysis the latent factor structure of such attitudes. Results indicate that a three-factor structure representing fear of contagion, negative emotions, and professional resistance provides a good fit to the data (goodness-of-fit index [GFI] = .92, parsimonious GFI = .67). We offer the resulting 15-item AIDS Attitudes Scale (AAS) as a reliable and valid measure for assessing health care students' attitudes toward working with AIDS patients. Our results suggest the presence of multiple predictors of such attitudes.

Occupational and personal risk estimates for HIV contagion among incoming graduate nursing students.

In an effort to measure both fear of HIV/AIDS contagion and possible co-factors, two cohorts (n = 331) of incoming graduate level nursing students were surveyed during two consecutive academic years. All completed a Risk Perception Scale and an AIDS Attitude Scale; additionally, 118 completed an AIDS Knowledge Scale. Findings indicate this population had tremendous fears of the possibility of HIV infection. Estimates of potential contagion far outweighed scientific estimates of risk, and in some cases corresponded to behaviors that are scientifically purported to have no risk. Of interest in this same regard were perceptions of increased risk in the case of visible testimony to disease (that is, in the case of holding a patient with Kaposi's sarcoma lesions versus one without) and in the case of a patient with AIDS (versus an HIV seropositive, asymptomatic patient). Results showed that exaggerated perceptions of risk were correlated with a lack of knowledge and with negative HIV-related attitudes. The study indicates the need for AIDS education that addresses biomedical findings and fact while concurrently addressing perceptions that may preclude the assimilation and application of such knowledge.

Predictors of medical and nursing students' levels of HIV-AIDS knowledge and their resistance to working with AIDS patients.

Among health professionals, knowledge about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is often limited, inaccurate, or both. Many health professionals also resist working with AIDS patients. This 1988 survey examined exaggerated risk estimates for HIV contagion in relationship to HIV-AIDS knowledge and resistance to working with AIDS patients among medical and nursing students at a large Northwestern teaching hospital. The results indicate that among the respondents, exaggerated risk estimates were associated both with a lack of HIV-AIDS knowledge and with greater resistance to working with AIDS patients. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that (1) a lack of clinical experience with AIDS patients and (2) antihomosexual attitudes were significantly associated with the students' lack of HIV-AIDS knowledge, even after controlling for the effects of exaggerated risk estimates. The first two variables also were shown to be significantly predictive of the students' resistance to working with AIDS patients, as was an intolerance of drug use and drug users, beyond the influence of exaggerated risk estimates. Specific approaches of developing effective HIV-AIDS educational programs for health professionals are proposed.

Racism, sexism, and erotophobia: attitudes of heterosexuals toward homosexuals.

This investigation examines the differential power of explanation of a sexual conservatism theory of homophobia against a more general theory of intergroup prejudice. Forty-eight female and 31 male undergraduate introductory psychology students from a large Eastern university completed a survey assessing contemporary attitudes toward women, Blacks, and homosexuals, as well as their affective orientation towards sex. The results indicate that sexual conservatism, as measured by an affective dimension of erotophilia-erotophobia, and social prejudice, as measured by racist and sexist beliefs, are independent and equal predictors of antihomosexual sentiment. It is suggested that distinct etiological differences may exist in the development of the homophobic personality. Findings are discussed within the context of Herek's (1984) functional approach to understanding attitudes toward lesbians and gay men.

Hostility and cardiovascular reactivity to stress in women and men.

The relationship of Cook Medley hostility scores (Ho) to blood pressure and heart rate reactivity was examined in 56 women and 56 men. Stress was elicited by an unsolvable anagram task that was described as easily solvable. Both men and women scoring high on Ho had greater blood pressure responses to the task. Those scoring high on Ho also reported more anger in response to the tasks, but anger was not associated with blood pressure reactivity. It was concluded that situations evoking suspiciousness and mistrust rather than anger may be necessary to elicit increased blood pressure reactivity among high Ho subjects.