Adolescent beliefs about AIDS prevention

Abstract

Four hundred and ten school children, aged between 13 and 16 years, were administered a questionnaire to investigate (a) their perceptions of AIDS and implications of the disease for the victim; (b) beliefs about how best to prevent the spread of disease; (c) sources of information and (d) AIDS relevant topics they would like to learn in school. The results suggested that there were few differences in knowledge or attitude as a function of age, but some significant differences due to sex. Boys were more likely to derogate the AIDS victim compared with girls. In terms of different strategies for prevention, boys were more in favour of “scare” approaches, and girls of information-giving. The success of any AIDS education package may be at least partly determined by individual beliefs about the disease, and preferences for different educational strategies.     

关注儿童艾滋病和艾滋孤儿

目前,我国艾滋病处于快速增长期,儿童艾滋病患者增长较快,艾滋孤儿亦逐渐增多.儿童艾滋病以母婴传播为主要途径,所以切断母婴垂直传播是遏制艾滋病向儿童传播的有效方法,应采取药物治疗、产科干预和人工喂养等综合措施.同时高度重视艾滋孤儿问题,采取措施预防出现下一代的艾滋孤儿,整个社会包括政府要加大对这些儿童的支持和关爱.     

儿童早期亲子间情绪谈话的影响因素

作为父母情绪社会化的一种重要途径,亲子间有关情绪的谈话对儿童个性和社会性的发展意义重大。研究发现,包括文化、种族、社会经济地位在内的外部社会环境,儿童的年龄、性别和依恋等特点,以及父母的依恋、养育观念和心理健康状况等因素,都会对父母与儿童之间有关情绪的谈话产生影响。未来亲子间有关情绪的谈话研究应更多考虑儿童长远发展的社会文化适应性视角,加强对非言语信息、亲子间交互回应行为的分析,拓展儿童中期和青春期的探讨,并进一步细化各项研究指标的差异水平、考虑中介因素的作用。     

Perceived emotional and life change impact of AIDS on homosexual men in two countries

Abstract

A comprehensive self-administered life event inventory examining both general life stress and stress from events specific to the homosexual and bisexual male population was developed in order to assess the impact of AIDS and HIV infection on homo- and bisexual men. Ranking of questions revealed that while general stressors affected homosexuals similarly to heterosexuals, there were critical stressors affecting homosexuals not measured by conventional inventories. Specifically, emotional distress from receiving an HIV antibody positive result was not significantly different to that caused by a diagnosis of AIDS or ARC, the diagnosis of AIDS in a lover or the death of a lover. A sharp discrepancy in emotional distress between current safer sex behaviour and current unsafe sexual behaviour was also found, and the implications for behavioural modification in this area noted. Those who were HIV antibody positive tended to evaluate the anticipated impact of further AIDS related diagnoses as having a greater emotional impact than those who had tested negative. There would appear to be a closer relationship between emotional distress and life change in homosexual men than in heterosexual samples. The relative emotional impacts and life change assessments of AIDS and HIV infection are discussed.     

雌激素替代疗法的利与弊

随着妇女社会地位的提高,以及人们对健康与生活质量要求的提高,绝经后雌激素替代疗法(HRT)日益成为人们关注的话题,越来越多的妇女选择在进入围绝经期后开始接受HRT,以改善因内源性雌激素分泌不足而引起的种种不适,确实提高了生活质量.但是,这种方法有增加子宫内膜癌、乳腺癌等其他疾病发病率的潜在危险,于是我们在临床应用时应该用辨证的眼光去看待它,试图抓住其主要矛盾,尽可能扬其利,避其害,以达到安全而有效地提高广大中老年妇女生活质量的目的.     

The New Biology and its Impact in Biomedical Strategies Against HIV/AIDS

Abstract. The sequencing of the human genome and the initiation of the structural genomics projects have ushered in a new age of biology that involves multi‐lab, high‐cost projects with broad task‐oriented goals rather than the more conventional hypothesis‐driven approach of the past. The new biology has led to the development of new sets of tools for the scientist to use in the quest to solve mysteries of human disease, biomolecular structure‐function relationships, and other burning biological questions. Nevertheless, the impact of the new biology on the field of AIDS investigation has been minimal, predominantly because many of the tools in the HIV field of study were developed before the full advance of the new biology was felt in the biomedical community. Many of the high‐cost megaprojects that involve large technological advances and are marketed as projects of promise to the biomedical community are not likely to significantly impact the field of HIV/AIDS research and cannot serve as a substitute for direct funding to the HIV/AIDS scientists working for vaccine development, an understanding of mechanisms of disease causation, and new tools for therapeutic intervention.     

Irrational Beliefs and Basic Assumptions in Bereaved University Students: A Comparison Study

Several authors have argued that the loss of a loved one triggers changes in people's beliefs and assumptions, and that these changes play a role in emotional problems after bereavement. The present study was an attempt to investigate these hypotheses. Thirty students who had been confronted with the death of a parent or sibling, on average nearly 3 years ago, were compared with 30 nonbereaved matched control subjects on different measures assessing basic assumptions and irrational beliefs as defined in REBT. In line with the notion that bereavement has an impact on people's basic assumptions, results showed that bereaved students had a less positive view of the meaningfulness of the world and the worthiness of the self than their nonbereaved counterparts. Also, in accord with the notion that the tendency to think irrationally is likely to increase after a stressful life event, the bereaved were found to have higher levels of irrational thinking. Furthermore, it was found that the degree to which bereaved individuals endorsed general as well as bereavement-specific irrational beliefs was significantly associated with the intensity of symptoms of traumatic grief. Conversely, none of the basic assumptions was associated with traumatic grief. Beliefs reflecting low frustration tolerance explained most variance in traumatic grief. Clinical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.     

A three city comparison of the public's knowledge and attitudes about AIDS

A survey of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about AIDS was administered simultaneously in San Francisco, New York and London to a total of 399 persons. The aim was to investigate how such knowledge and attitudes may he influenced by social and cultural contexts, as well as by disease epidemiology. Across all samples of the general public (excluding risk group members) in the three cities, general fear of AIDS and anti-gay attitudes were significantly negatively correlated with knowledge about AIDS. In the London sample, general fear of AIDS and anti-gay attitudes were significantly and positively associated with both sexual and general health behavior change. Only sexual behavior change, however, was significantly correlated with general fear of AIDS and anti-gay variables for the New York sample. Neither of these variables was significantly associated with behavior change of any kind in the San Francisco sample. We accounted for these inter-city differences by proposing a four-stage model of public response to an epidemic over time. Our data support the need for specific programs aimed at the general public that take into account sociocultural and AIDS epidemiologic differences across different sociocultural contexts.     

艾滋病感染信息配偶告知中的伦理问题探析

艾滋病感染者和病人有将感染信息及时告知配偶的义务,但部分感染者和病人会以隐私保护或告知后可能面临困难为由拒绝履行,这是对避免将疾病传播给他人责任的回避,也会造成维护伦理关系名义下对关系的破坏。因而需要允许保密原则的合理例外,赋予医疗卫生机构告知权限。这一赋权带来的受益大于风险,同时也作为感染者和病人自律的制约与补充,以及信息弱势群体权益的保障。在告知举措上,需要注重伦理管理,完善相关政策措施;回应感染者和病人的生活逻辑,采取人性化告知方式;同时告知与宣传并重,减少歧视感染者和病人的舆论环境。

     

广西部分人群艾滋病相关知识态度调查

通过对广西部分人群在预防艾滋病知识和对艾滋病人态度方面的情况调查,了解我区开展艾滋病健康教育的现状,探讨完善我区艾滋病预防宣传教育体系的途径;我区部分人群预防艾滋病知识知晓率高低不够均衡;我区艾滋病预防宣传教育收效明显,但有待完善。     

Perceived responsibility for disease onset affects HIV/AIDS Education

Abstract

Ninety-nine participants were assigned to one of three experimental conditions in which they viewed an AIDS education videotape that systematically manipulated whether or not the educator would be perceived as responsible for HIV infection. Participants were administered pre and post-video affect measures, and an HlV/AIDS knowledge test after watching the video. Participants who viewed the speaker who acquired HIV through a blood transfusion (perceived not responsible) and those who viewed the speaker who did not reveal mode of acquisition (control) performed significantly better on the knowledge test compared to those who viewed the speaker who acquired HIV through unprotected sexual inttrcourse (perceived responsible). In addition. male participants in the perceived responsible condition reported a significant increase in sensation-sceking after viewing the video. Finally, females experienced a significantly greater increase in anxiety as a result of seeing the video than did males. Implications of these tindings for the design and implmentation of AIDS education programs were discussed.     

不同文化程度者对艾滋病预防干预措施的认知研究

国务院于2006年2月12日公布了《艾滋病防治条例》,从法律上对预防艾滋病传播的干预措施予以确定。但社会公众对艾滋病预防干预措施的认知,特别是文化程度较低者的知晓率和认知态度还需通过宣传进一步加强,以利艾滋病预防干预措施更好实施,进一步防治艾滋病的传播。     

Culturally Sensitive AIDS Educational Videos for African American Audiences: Effects of Source, Message, Receiver, and Context

The importance of using culturally sensitive educational materials in HIV-related interventions with racial and ethnic minority groups is widely recognized. However, little empirical research has been conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of different techniques for creating culturally sensitive AIDS educational videos. Two field experiments with three samples of African American adults (N = 174, 173, and 143) were conducted to assess how source characteristics (race of communicator), message characteristics (multicultural message vs. culturally specific message), and audience characteristics (racial distrust and AIDS-related distrust) influence proximate (perceptions of the message's credibility and attractiveness) and distal (AIDS-related attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions) output variables for AIDS educational videos. In Study 1, an AIDS video with a culturally specific message was rated as more credible, more attractive, and of higher quality than was a video with a multicultural message. The multicultural message was rated less favorably when delivered by a White announcer than when the announcer was Black. In Study 2, the same pattern was replicated with a second community sample and a campus-based sample. Study 2 also indicated that a multicultural message might be more effective if delivered in a culturally specific context, namely, after audience members watch a culturally specific video. Minimal changes were observed in distal outcome variables. It is argued that influencing proximate output variables is necessary, though not sufficient, for effecting long-term change in AIDS-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.     

Sex and the Right to HIV/AIDS Education in Early Childhood

This study explored how early childhood teachers (n=5) and young children (n=174) (age range 7 to 8 years; males = 81; females = 93) in two primary schools constructed and interpreted the right to HIV/AIDS education. Data were captured using individual interviews with teachers and group interviews with young children. Analysis of the data showed that teachers viewed young children's right to health information positively but did not consider the right to sexual information. Teachers operated within discourses which upheld the image of the child as innocent requiring protection from sexual knowledge. Children's perceptions of their rights to knowledge of sex in HIV/AIDS education showed ambiguity. Some accepted the right to know whilst others felt that knowledge about HIV/AIDS was inconsistent with childhood innocence.     

An evaluation of the UK government health education campaign on AIDS

In the absence of an effective treatment for HI V the only means of containing its spread is through changes in behaviour. Health education is a key route for achieving this. To be effective, a health education campaign must result in behaviour change. The United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Security has attempted to address these needs in a recent health education campaign, which took the form of whole page newspaper advertisements in the national press. Groups of higher and lower risk subjects were questioned before and after the campaign. The desire for information was high and the vast majority of respondents named the medical profession as the desired source to turn to. 31.1% of the lower risk group and 50% of the higher risk group noticed and read the campaign. Information scores were slightly increased but the campaign had no effect on adjusting misconceptions and anxiety was not lowered. Attitudes and behaviour were unaltered. These results are discussed in the light of a content analysis of the campaign.     

The Body of Christ has AIDS: The Catholic Church Responding Faithfully to HIV and AIDS in Papua New Guinea

Using the example of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I detail how, through praxis, it has brought to life a living theology of HIV and AIDS. In this way, the Catholic Church in PNG is responding faithfully to the epidemic. As a Christian country with a generalised HIV epidemic, where the body of an individual is reconstituted through the liturgical practices of baptism and Eucharist, theologically, in PNG the body of Christ has AIDS. In order to examine the ways in which the Catholic Church in PNG has responded faithfully to the Christian body with AIDS, I do so in relation to the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love.

Counseling Caregivers of Families Affected by HIV/AIDS: The Use of Narrative Therapy

This article proposes the use of Narrative Therapy with family caregivers of family members diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The authors identify the reasons for using Narrative Therapy with African family caregivers who have relocated to the United States of America. The tenets of Narrative Therapy are outlined, and a case illustration is provided to show how Narrative Therapy can be implemented. In this case study, the client moves from a state of helplessness and hopelessness to being able to regain control of her life and improve the care of her sister. She was able to re-write her story: from feeling incompetent to a position of strength. Although Narrative Therapy was used successfully with an African family caregiver within the USA, the authors assert that the interventions have the potential to be used as effectively with those clients living in Africa, provided counselors are sensitive to cultural differences that will affect their practice.     

Questions of condom use in the Muslim and Catholic response to HIV and AIDS in Nairobi,Kenya

Religious leaders in Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim communities in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi are charged with responding in an official capacity to the pressing concerns facing their respective communities both theologically and practically. However, speaking about sexuality from a religious perspective particularly on the use of condoms in AIDS prevention has been rather troublesome topic many leaders and clergy find problematic discussing openly. This paper offers a comparative analysis of Muslim and Catholic views on sexuality by establishing the parameters within which to consider the presence and activity of Catholic and Muslim leaders in Kenya and the holistic, grassroots approach in responding to the AIDS epidemic in Nairobi regarding condom use.     

护理扩展培训在艾滋病干预模式中的探讨

新疆艾滋病形势严峻,艾滋病重点疫区的护理人员普遍存在着对艾滋病知识的缺乏,对艾滋病患者持有歧视、恐惧的心理及缺乏基本的防护知识等现状,艾滋病护理扩展培训项目的实施,通过对护理人员进行的艾滋病知识培训,对艾滋病干预模式进行了有益的探索和实践。     

Discursive deracialization in talk about asylum seeking

In this paper we explore the extent to which ‘discursive deracialization’, the removal of ‘race’ from potentially racially motivated arguments, is taking place in talk about asylum seeking. A discourse analysis is conducted on the part of a corpus of data collected from focus groups with undergraduate students talking about asylum seeking, in which they were asked if they considered it to be racist to oppose asylum. We show that speakers use three arguments for opposing asylum that are explicitly framed as non‐racist: opposition is based on (1) economic reasons (2) religious grounds and the associated threat of terrorism and (3) the lack of asylum seekers' ability to integrate into British society. These findings are discussed with regard to the implications they have for our understanding of discursive deracialization in which it is shown that there is a common knowledge understanding, albeit one that needs qualifying, that opposition to asylum is not racist. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.