Correctional officers' intention of accepting or refusing to make HIV preventive tools accessible to inmates

The aim of this study was to identify the factors which explain correctional officers' intention of accepting or refusing to make HIV preventive tools (condoms, bleach, tattooing equipment, and syringes) accessible to inmates. A total of 957 officers completed a questionnaire that took into account determinants from several social-cognitive behavior theories. The results indicated that only 21.4% of officers were favorable toward making accessible all of the preventive tools. The theoretical model explained 87% of the intention variance, p < .0001. Self-efficacy (beta = .35), personal normative belief (beta = .29), social determinants (beta = .21) and the affective dimension of attitude (beta = .19) were significant determinants. Moreover, officers with a high level of intention differed from those with a low level of intention on several points of the theoretical model. In conclusion, the results clearly indicated that several difficulties must be overcome before HIV preventive tools as a whole can be made accessible to inmates.