Analysis of preconceived attitudes of medical personnel toward HIV positive and AIDS patients
Zuber, J.; Werner, J.
Psychotherapie Psychosomatik Medizinische Psychologie 46(2): 52-60
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0937-2032 PMID: 8851066 Document Number: 457938
Attitudes of medical personnel towards HIV-positive-persons and AIDS-patients were investigated by means of 316 semi-structured interviews. Level of knowledge about AIDS exhibited no effect on the extent of prejudice. However, clear associations emerged between emotional variables and prejudice: the greater the fear of AIDS and/or homophobia, the greater the extent of prejudice. Medical personnel who characterized themselves as practicing-religious used relatively more prejudiced expressions, but were still ready to enter into social contact with AIDS patients. According to our results, continuing education programs cannot expect to reduce prejudice among medical professionals so long as they rely on assumption that increased factual knowledge about AIDS translates into attitudinal change.