Reducing HIV/AIDS Stigma through Video Public Service Announcements
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Date
2016-01-01
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Department
Psychology
Program
Psychology
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This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
Abstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been a worldwide problem for the past 30 years. In addition to impact and symptoms of HIV itself, attitudes about HIV/AIDS and behaviors toward infected individuals may also affect those not at risk or not infected. Lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and negative attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have been pervasive since the start of the epidemic and have been related to negative behaviors toward PLWHA. Efforts have been made to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma, yet negative attitudes and discrimination continue to exist. Public service announcements (PSAs) about HIV and PLWHA have been created to increase knowledge, reduce negative attitudes, and encourage positive behavior change. While many studies consider the PSAs' effectiveness in reducing viewers' personal risk behaviors, fewer studies have evaluated the impact of HIV-related PSAs on attitudes and behaviors toward PLWHA, especially among college-students. Thus, in an attempt to add to this area of research, the current study seeks to determine the degree to which PSAs created by college students impact attitudes and behaviors toward PLWHA among their peers. In Study I, college students in an independent study course created two HIV-related PSAs geared toward college students. In Study II, these PSAs were evaluated and compared to HIV-related and non-HIV-related PSAs to determine whether they were more effective at changing college students' attitudes and behaviors. Results found that, while there were some immediate differences in film ratings based on emotional and college-specific content, no change in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior (social distancing) were found, regardless of PSA viewed.