As the number of persons living with HIV continues to increase in Jamaica, attitudes and values become more important. This study aimed to examine the attitudes of university students in Jamaica toward persons living with HIV, including homosexual men, heterosexual men, women sex workers, other women, and children. One thousand two hundred and fifty-two students were surveyed between June 2001 and February 2002 using a 193-item questionnaire measuring a variety of HIV-related knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural items. Less than half of students reported sympathetic attitudes toward homosexual men or women sex workers living with HIV while a majority reported generally sympathetic attitudes toward heterosexual men and non-sex worker women living with the disease. Predictors of sympathy varied by target group. Male students were significantly less likely to report sympathy for homosexual men than for any other group. Spirituality was associated with sympathy for homosexual men and women sex workers, but not for the remaining two groups. Findings suggest that levels of negative attitudes are high in Jamaica and warrant attention to both individual and societal-level actions and interventions. In addition, messages and interventions must be targeted, recognizing both the differences in level of sympathy expressed toward different groups and predictors of sympathy across the groups.
Neuropsychological dysfunction, ranging from mild cognitive symptoms to
dementia has been a consistent part of the clinical picture of HIV/AIDS.
However, advances in clinical management, particularly antiretroviral (ARV)
treatment, have mitigated the neuropsychological effects of HIV and revised the
pattern and nature of cognitive deficits, which are observed in HIV-infected
individuals. The attendant improvements in mortality and morbidity have led to a
need for programs and interventions that sustain healthy behavior and prevent a
resurgence of HIV transmission risk. Psychiatric risk factors, particularly
substance use, which often contribute to initial acquisition of HIV, still
require attention. These risk factors may also exacerbate neuropsychological
dysfunction and compromise adherence to prevention recommendations and
treatment. Specifically, a more complete understanding of the effects of
substance abuse on the progression of HIV related cognitive decline can inform
evaluation and management of HIV seropositives with concurrent substance use
disorders. This review provides an overview of the neuropsychology of HIV and
substance abuse and the extant research that has examined the effects of both
HIV disease and substance use on neuropsychological functioning and implications
for treatment and future research.
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