Developmental and family correlates of children's knowledge and attitudes regarding AIDS

Assessed developmental and family variables associated with children's knowledge of and emotional attitudes toward AIDS. Participants included 65 first to sixth graders from two private elementary schools and their mothers. Between-groups comparisons showed that children knowledgeable about AIDS were older and had more mature illness concepts than children who were not knowledgeable. Among children who were knowledgeable about AIDS, a relatively negative attitude toward AIDS was associated with a negative attitude toward illness in general. Moreover, the children's attitude toward AIDS was more negative than their attitudes toward other serious illnesses. Family relations and maternal AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes were linked with neither children's knowledge nor their attitudes.