Knowledge of AIDS and attitudes toward persons with AIDS: A comparison of counseling professionals, clergy, and students
Abstract
This study is an investigation of the knowledge of AIDS and attitudes toward persons with AIDS among professional counselors, clergy, and students. Three hundred twenty-five participants were investigated to see if group membership, gender, age, or academic preparation had an effect on knowledge of AIDS, fear of contracting AIDS, homophobia, empathy, self-assessed professional knowledge, and willingness to counsel persons with AIDS. Analyses of the data indicated that there were significant differences among the groups in knowledge of AIDS, fear of contracting AIDS, homophobia, empathy for persons with AIDS, self-assessed professional knowledge, and willingness to counsel persons with AIDS. There was a gender effect on homophobia, fear of contracting AIDS and on willingness to counsel persons with AIDS. However, the gender of the participants did not have an effect on knowledge of AIDS, empathy for persons with AIDS, or self-assessed professional knowledge. The age of the participants had a relationship to fear of contracting AIDS, knowledge of AIDS, and homophobia. There was no age relationship to empathy for PWAs. The academic preparation of the graduate students in counseling had a relationship to knowledge of AIDS and to assessment of professional knowledge.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Kelly, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Academic guidance counseling|Clergy
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