HIV/AIDS and health care workers: Contact with patients and attitudes towards them

Abstract

Data on a range of variables associated with contact with patients with HIV/AIDS and attitudes towards them were collected from 174 Scottish health care workers. Measures of attitudes and contact (overall. social and physical) were derived from the scales devised by Pleck et al. (1988). The measure of overall contact was not significantly related to attitudes, but those with predominantly social contact with patients with HIV/AIDS had more positive attitudes towards them. This relationship was moderated by occupational charateristics. con cern about working with people of unknown HIV status and neuroticism. With all of these variables con trolled. including social contact, those who had not received in-service training relating to HIV/AIDS had more negative attitudes. The results are discussed with regard to the measurement of social contact with patients, salient beliefs. the occupational characteristics associated with attitudes, and in-service education.

Key Words:

• HIV/AIDS
• Contact
• Attitudes
• health care workers
• perceived risk of contagion
• in-service education.