SECOND-YEAR IOWA ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD PERSONS WITH AIDS (IMMUNE DEFICIENCY).
Contributors: University of Iowa.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 177
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Biology, Microbiology.; Education, Health.
Description: The attitudes of second-year associate degree nursing students (N = 122) toward patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), who became infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) via three different modes of transmission, and toward patients not having AIDS but instead having leukemia, was investigated, as well as the relationship between various participant descriptive variables and participants' attitudes toward these patients.

Participants read one of four vignettes, identical in content except the individual portrayed was identified as having either leukemia or AIDS contracted by either unsafe male-male sexual activity, unsafe drug use, or through a blood transfusion. Participants responded to three inventories that measured their attitudes toward the individuals in the vignettes, and answered fifteen questions about descriptive variables.

Participant responses from the Attitude Scales were subjected to a factor analysis that yielded six factors. Attitude scores were computed for each participant and subjected to univariate analysis of variance followed by post hoc Tukey contrasts. Univariate analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey contrasts measured differences in participants' attitude scores compared to the descriptive variables.

Results indicated that second-year associate degree nursing students' attitudes differ toward individuals with AIDS according to the manner in which the individual became infected with HIV. Student attitudes were most positive toward the individual with AIDS who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, less positive toward the individual with AIDS acquired by unsafe drug activity, and least positive toward the individual with AIDS acquired by unsafe male-male sexual activity. Students' attitudes were also more positive toward the individual with leukemia than toward any of the three individuals with AIDS regardless of the manner in which they became infected with HIV.

Nursing students who were between 18-29 years old, had been through LPN training or had had some college courses, reported earning a modest level of income, had used college courses as their chief AIDS information source, and who had friends or acquaintances who were gay men had the most positive attitudes toward persons with AIDS.

Implications for nursing curricula and recommendations for further study were discussed based on these results.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-08, Section: B, page: 4031.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, 1992.

School code: 0096.