Title
Attitudes toward caring for people living with HIV/AIDS: A cross-sectional study of nursing faculty in six countries
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Bentham Science Publishers
Abstract
Background: Since the earliest study about nursing faculty and student attitudes about caring for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in 1992, there have been less than 20 additional studies reported in the literature. Yet, PLHIV continues to report stigma and experience discrimination. Nursing faculty attitudes are part of the informal curriculum. Negativity about caring for PLHIV can adversely impact student perceptions as well as their care. Current research in this area is essentially non-existent. Objective: To describe the attitudes of the university nursing faculty toward caring for PLHIV; and to identify the relationship between faculty attitudes and explanatory factors such as age, education, religion, nationality, teaching in a clinical setting, years of experience, and university attributes. Methods: This was a multicenter cross-sectional study with nonrandomized electronic purposeful sampling. The Healthcare Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS) is a 30-item scale with three subscales: Prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination. The English and Spanish versions of the HPASS exhibit stable psychometric properties for cross-cultural research. The HPASS was delivered to university nursing faculty in six countries across three continents. Results: A sample of 368 nursing faculty completed the HPASS. The mean composite score was 2.41 (SD = 0.69), six-point scale with lower scores indicating more positive attitudes, with subscale scores: Stereotypes 2.55 (SD = 0.84), discrimination 2.28 (SD = 0.74), and prejudices 2.41 (SD = 0.63). Peruvian faculty had the highest scores while Canadian had the lowest. Significant correlations were observed between attitudes and the three subscales, and between the three subscales and the composite score. Conclusion: Attitudes of the nursing faculty toward caring for PLHIV were slightly positive to slightly negative depending on the region and country. Knowledge deficiencies about HIV persist, incorrect beliefs are common, and attitudes appear to be influenced by culture. The correlation between subscales justifies continued research to implement targeted interventions. Education about HIV/AIDS can address knowledge deficits while structured interactions with PLHIV can facilitate experiential learning.
Start page
90
End page
99
Volume
14
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología Medicina tropical
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85096809261
Source
Open AIDS Journal
ISSN of the container
18746136
Sponsor(s)
This project was partially supported through a research dissemination grant (VRI-D-2020-05-001-RDG) received from the Universidad Norbert Wiener by Dr. Patrick A. Palmieri to advance positive social change through promoting open source knowledge for low-and middle-income countries.We would like to thank all our colleagues who helped with the data collection process: Dr. D. Ballester, Dr. M. Bennasar, Dr. D. Bernabeu, Dr. S. Campbell, Dr. F. de los Cobos, Dr. J. Fernández, Dr. A. Giménez, Dr. D. Gonzales, Dr. M. Lalinde, Dr. J. Lavado, Ms. N. Membrillo, Dr. J. Mendigure, Dra. G. Merán, Dr. A. Nibert, Dr. P. Pearson, Dr. I. Pérez, Ms. P. Piscoya, and Dr. J. Profetto. Without their invaluable contribution and selfless participation, this study would not have been possible. In addition, we want to thank Dr. Rosalie Mainous, Dean of the College of Nursing, Texas Woman’s University and Dr. Maria Dolors Bernabeu-Tamayo, Director of the Departament d'Infermeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona for their continued support of the Center for Global Nursing at the Texas Woman’s University through funding faculty exchanges and facilitating the global research activities that stimulate research with practical implications for advancing evidence-based clinical practice in developing countries.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus