College students' attitudes about AIDS: 1986 to 2000

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Attitudes towards Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and people with AIDS (PWAs) are crucial for public health interventions.
• Understanding long-term attitude shifts in college populations is vital for targeted prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To track changes in college students' attitudes toward AIDS and PWAs over a 15-year period.
• To identify gender-based differences in attitudes and perceptions related to AIDS.
• To assess the relationship between perceived knowledge, personal susceptibility, and attitudes toward AIDS.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal administration of the AIDS Attitude Scale to 1,571 introductory psychology students.
• Data collection spanned from 1986 to 2000 at a midsized southeastern university.
• Analysis focused on changes in tolerance, gender differences, contagion concerns, perceived knowledge, and susceptibility.

Main Results:

• Overall tolerance towards AIDS and PWAs significantly increased between 1986 and 2000.
• Consistent gender differences were observed, with females exhibiting more tolerant attitudes.
• Concerns regarding casual contagion diminished, and perceived knowledge about AIDS increased over time.

Conclusions:

• College students' attitudes regarding AIDS have become more tolerant over time, with notable gender disparities.
• Decreasing concerns about casual contagion and increasing perceived knowledge suggest potential efficacy of ongoing prevention efforts.
• Low perceived personal susceptibility to HIV indicates a need for continued focus on risk perception in HIV prevention programs for this demographic.