Barcelona 2013
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| Abstract #455 - Stigma and Discrimination | ||||
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Session: 46.1: Stigma and Discrimination (Parallel) on Wednesday @ 09.00-11.00 in Teatre Chaired by Piedad Arazo, Joseph Lau Authors: Presenting Author: Prof Fernando Molero - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain |
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| Additional Authors: Dr M Paz Berm Dr Gualberto Buela-Casal, | ||||
| Aim: To compare the results of two surveys conducted in 2008 and 2012 on attitudes and beliefs about people with HIV | ||||
| Method / Issue: We interviewed a representative sample of the Spanish population (N = 1698) with a margin of error of approximately 2.51 % for a 95.5% confidence level (CI) in a scenario of maximum dispersion. The data were collected in 2012. Random sampling was carried out with quotas of sex and age. We performed computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). A random system dialed telephone numbers of homes from the municipalities included in each sample cell. The age range of the people interviewed was between 16 and 88 years (M = 45.33, SD = 16.72). Among them, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women, and 92.7% of the interviewed people were Spaniards. The survey used in this investigation was basically the same as that used in the 2008 survey (Fuster et al., 2013) and it is mainly based on the instrument employed by Herek (1999). The questionnaire measures diverse facets of stigma such as: (a) the degree of discomfort with and avoidance of people in three hypothetical situations, (b) the advocacy of discriminatory policies, (c) attributions of responsibility and blame to people with HIV, and (d) negative feelings towards people with HIV. Additionally, the survey included variables that are relevant to the study of stigma such as: (a) beliefs about the transmission of HIV through social contact, (b) degree of proximity to people with HIV, (c) degree of relationship that respondents would be willing to keep with a person with HIV (d) perceived severity of Aids. We compared the data of the 2012 survey with the result of the survey carried out in 2008. The methodology and representativeness of the sample were the same in both studies. | ||||
| Results / Comments: The degree of discomfort concerning people with HIV decreased significantly in 2012 across the three proposed situations (school, work and shop). The greatest reduction was in the percentage of people who felt uncomfortable when a classmate of his/her children had HIV. Overall, the avoidance intention toward people with HIV in the three situations was lower in 2012 than in 2008. In the same vein, the number of people who agreed with the implementation of harsh discriminatory policies toward people with HIV (i.e., segregation), although still important, was significantly lower in 2012. Negative feelings toward people with HIV also were lower in 2012 than in 2008. and the same was observed with the number of people who considered people with HIV to be responsible and blamed them for becoming infected. In 2012, the percentage of people willing to maintain a friendship or a romantic relationship with people with HIV was higher than in 2008. However, the percentage of people who continued to hold erroneous beliefs about the transmission of HIV through social contact (sharing a glass) remained constant in both surveys. | ||||
| Discussion: Attitudes of the Spanish population toward people with HIV have improved in the last four years. However, there are still attitudes and beliefs that need to be changed. This study was carried out by SEISIDA and granted by Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality | ||||
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