A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND FEAR OF AIDS ON ANXIETY LEVELS OF ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING STUDENTS CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH AIDS (IMMUNE DEFICIENCY).
Contributors: Morgan State University.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 180
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Community College.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: This correlation study was designed to assess the effects of knowledge, attitudes, and fear of AIDS on anxiety levels of associate degree nursing students caring for patients with AIDS. In addition, a question of whether anxiety could be predicted by social and demographic factors, knowledge, attitudes and fear was addressed and a convenience sample of 100 registered nurses were surveyed to gather comparative data. The following hypotheses were investigated: (1) There is a relationship between Associate degree nursing students' knowledge of AIDS and their level of anxiety when caring for patients with AIDS. (2) There is a relationship between Associate degree nursing students' attitudes toward AIDS and their level of anxiety when caring for patients with AIDS. (3) There is a relationship between Associate degree nursing students' fear of AIDS and their level of anxiety when caring for patients with AIDS. (4) There is a relationship between Associate degree nursing students' social factors and their level of anxiety when caring for patients with AIDS. (5) There is a relationship between Associate degree nursing students' demographic factors and their level of anxiety when caring for patients with AIDS.

The target population for this study was associate nursing students enrolled in 14 community colleges located in a mid-atlantic state. Five hundred students were randomly selected to receive a four-part questionnaire, 464 were returned for a response rate of 92.8 percent.

The data were analyzed by multivariate procedures and multiple regression. The significance level was set at.05. The data analysis did not support hypothesis one and five. Only one of the social factors in hypothesis four was supported, specifically, whether the student had cared for an AIDS patient. The results of the data analysis permitted the researcher to conclude that fear and negative attitudes were related to increased anxiety. Attitudes, fear and history of caring for an AIDS patient were identified as the strongest predictors of anxiety levels.

This findings in this study led to the conclusion that associate degree nursing students had moderate to high levels of anxiety and fear. High levels of knowledge was evident in 98.4 percent of the nursing students. The nursing students and the registered nurses indicated overwhelmingly that their primary concern was fear of contracting the disease and dying. Despite the fear and anxiety, the students and nurses responded overwhelmingly that patients with AIDS should not be refused health care and nurses should not have the right to refuse to provide care.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-06, Section: B, page: 2999.

Thesis (ED.D.)--MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, 1993.

School code: 0755.