Stigmatisation, An Epidemic of HIV Infection: Students Perception of People Infected with HIV

Abstract

The gains of the fight against HIV/AIDS seems threatened by a third force, stigmatization. The focus of the study was to identify the scope and pattern of respondents' knowledge and their relationship with people living with HIV/AIDS. In a survey, 400 Junior High Students completed self-administered questionnaire, comprising of two measures, beliefs toward people living with HIV/AIDS and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Based on factor analysis two factors of the Belief construct, suggest tolerance and acceptance of people infected with HIV based on factor loadings ranged between .401 and .662 on promax rotation. Positive correlation between the items and the factors were also registered. However, gaps in levels of knowledge and in misconceptions on HIV issues threaten their comfortability with the infected. There is a willingness to tolerate and accept people living with HIV without stigmatisation. However, students’ comfortability to do that willingly will depend on the quality of functional knowledge and facts about HIV/AIDS. The fight against stigmatisation may continue to linger on until misconceptions are continually addressed. Heightened awareness and knowledge of health risk are important preconditions for self-directed change.