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Attitudes Toward People Living With HIV/AIDS: A Model of Attitudes to Illness1 |
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| Authors: | John Connors Alan Hely |
| Institution: | 1. Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia
2Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to John Connors, Department of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 678, Wagga Wagga, Australia 2678. E-mail: jconnors@csu.edu.au;2. Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia |
| Abstract: | This study examined attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS within a sample of 220 young men and women. As predicted, a multiple regression analysis revealed that the fear of contracting HIV/AIDS through casual contact was a significant predictor of both men's and women's willingness to interact with people living with HIV/AIDS. Attitudes toward homosexuality were also a significant predictor of attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS among women, who generally have a low risk of contracting the disease in Western societies. These results indicate that attitudes toward people with a serious illness may be strongly related to the perceived risk of contracting the disease. |
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