- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- An exploratory study comparing the levels of aids knowledge. Risk perceptions. And self-efficacy between recently diagnosed HIV positive gay white men and heterosexual African American women, 2000
- Creator:
- Johnson, Jamuir M.
- Date of Original:
- 2000-05-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- This study compares the knowledge, risk perceptions, and levels of self-efficacy of recently diagnosed gay white men and heterosexual African American women, prior to HIV diagnosis. HIV is an abbreviation for the human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the world today. Statistics show African American women are the fastest growing group to be infected with the HIV virus. Education along with increased perception of risk and selfefficacy have been linked to a decrease in risky behaviors that lead to the contraction of HIV/AIDS. Because HIV was originally considered to be a gay white male disease, much of the AIDS prevention research, and consequently most of the education and prevention efforts, were targeted to this population. Many heterosexual women, African Americans in particular, are being left out of prevention programs, or are not receiving information that is culturally relevant. The purpose of this study is to compare the AIDS knowledge, perceptions of risk, and levels of self-efficacy of African American heterosexual women and gay white men. AID Atlanta, an Atlanta, Georgia based AIDS service organization, provided the researcher with a sample representation of recently diagnosed HIV positive gay white men to be surveyed, as well as a sample of recently diagnosed HIV positive heterosexual African American women. The participants completed questionnaires regarding their level of HIV knowledge, perceptions of risk, and perceived self-efficacy prior to their diagnoses. It was expected that the HIV knowledge of the men sampled would be slightly higher than that of the women. The perception of risk among the men was expected to be significantly higher, and the levels of self-efficacy were expected to be equal among both groups. Only participants who had been diagnosed within three months of the study were surveyed. As predicted in the hypothesis, the men had a slightly higher mean score on both the knowledge items, and perceptions of risk. Although the hypothesis predicted that the men and women would feel equally self-efficacious regarding protection from contracting HIV, the women actually scored higher. This study has shown the need for increased knowledge and self-efficacy levels, as well as the need for individuals to accurately assess their risk levels. Social Work practitioners in particular often work in fields where HIV education which addresses knowledge, risk perceptions and self efficacy can be included in the services they provide.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2000_johnson_jamuir_m
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
