ATTITUDES IN THE CONTEXT OF HIV PREVENTION

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This application for the Scientist Development Award describes a comprehensive program of trailing and research in the field of HIV prevention. The goal of these efforts is (a) to facilitate the PI's transition into HIV prevention research; and (b)to evaluate the social psychological underpinnings of HIV transmission for economically disadvantaged men and women. The proposed training will develop the PI's knowledge about (a) HIV prevention research, including theoretical, and practical aspects; (b) HIV/AIDS more generally considered (i.e., its prevalence, transmission, course, treatment); (c) important characteristics of economically disadvantaged populations; and (d) special techniques to measure attitudes. The proposed research will examine the relation of HIV-relevant beliefs to behaviors that are known to be at risk for HIV infection, particularly focusing on inconsistent condom usage. A first study will concern meta-analyses of studies relating HIV-related attitudes and beliefs to risky sexual behavior. A second, original research study will test the hypothesis that feelings about condom usage (affect) predict condom usage in spontaneous situations better than do beliefs (cognition) about using condoms, whereas this relation reverses in deliberate situations. Deliberate situations are likely to include intercourse with one's regular partner, whereas spontaneous situations are likely to include intercourse with occasional partners and/or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Approximately too-hundred individuals will be recruited to complete baseline inventories of their knowledge about high-risk behavior, attitudes toward HIV and AIDS, social norms, and previous sexual behavior. These variables will again be assessed after a 6-week interval. More focused analyses will isolate the particular affective and cognitive attitudinal dimensions that distinguish between low- and high-risk behavior. A third study will directly examine the intervention implications of the foregoing studies.