Abstract #346  -  Is there a link between social representations of HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviour amongst young people? A study of students in Ghana
Authors:   Presenting Author:   Ms Dinah Baah-Odoom - University of Birmingham
Additional Authors:  Ms Dinah Baah-odoom, Dr Gerry Riley,
Aim: The aim of the study was to establish the link between distancing and sexual behaviour amongst students in Ghana. The study sought to address the issue that distancing strategies result in less caution in sexual behaviour via the mediating effect of a reduced perception of risk.
Method / Issue: This hypothesis was tested in three questionnaire studies involving two samples of students from Ghana (N=463 and N=242).
Results / Comments: The results of these studies provided no support for the hypothesis. Although some association was found between distancing and unsafe sexual behaviour and intentions, this was not mediated by a reduced sense of vulnerability to the disease. In fact, greater distancing was associated with a greater sense of vulnerability. This outcome was observed in the two samples. Additional investigations to determine whether the link between distancing and unsafe sexual behaviour/intentions might be explained by the relationship of both variables to just world beliefs, found no evidence to support this idea. A large percentage of the samples showed negative attitudes towards condom use and stigmatizing attitudes towards those with AIDS.
Discussion: The significance of these results for both theory social policy to address these issues and practice will be discussed.
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