Acknowledgments	Abstract	Introduction	Method
Results	Discussion	Suggested References	Related Links

 

I'd like to thank Dr. Peter Salovey, Dr. Loraine Devos-Comby, and all the other helpful staff members at Yale University who made the collection of my data possible.  Also, a big thank you to Professor Finn for acting as my summer mentor and assisting me in the initial stages of my research. Writing this thesis, however, would have seemed an impossible feat without the constant guidance and encouragement from Professor Flannery.  Lastly, I'd like to thank my family, friends, Mom & Dad, and boyfriend Matt for providing the love and support necessary when endeavoring upon such daunting and exciting tasks: thesis, senior year, and life.  Thank you all so much.

Abstract

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It is estimated that between 800,000 to 900,000 persons in the U.S. are living with HIV or AIDS.  Trends in HIV and AIDS newly reported cases have shown the significant impact of the disease with specific regard to minorities (CDC, 2000).  In 1999, more African Americans were reported to have AIDS than any other racial or ethnic group (CDC, 1999).  Recent numbers indicating minorities infected with HIV or AIDS continue to show a markedly high proportion within total cases reported amongst all ethnicities.  Studies attempting to identify variables which could potentially help reduce these alarmingly high infection rates have examined factors associated with HIV preventive behavior such as Health Locus of Control (Black, Ricardo, & Stanton, 1997).  Although studies suggest that there may be a relationship between HIV preventive behavior and HLOC, past research has failed to evaluate specific subscales of the HLOC as they affect behavior within a representative minority sample.  The purpose of this study was to examine the association between HIV preventive behavior and the three subscales of HLOC: internal, power of others, and power of chance.  Additionally, this study attempted to evaluate this association across a population of varying ethnicities with a focus on the usually under-represented minorities.  Based upon previous literature, it was hypothesized that HIV preventive behavior of minorities, specifically Latinos, would be significantly associated with HLOC power of other and power of chance subscales.

Procedure and Materials
Participants were administered a questionnaire that included the 18-item Health Locus of Control scale (Wallston, Wallston, & Devellis, 1978), a Likert scale format measuring three subscales: perceived internal control, belief in the power of others, and belief in the power of chance.  A question identifying self-reported frequency of condom use measured on a Likert scale of 1 (never) to 6 (always) was also included on the questionnaire.

Correlation coefficients were computed among the 3 Health Locus of  Control subscales and the self-reported frequency of condom use.  Using the Bonferoni approach to control for Type 1 error across the 6 correlations, a p-value of less than .01 (.05/6 = .01) was required for significance.  The results of the correlational analyses showed that 1 out of the 6 correlations was statistically significant such that Latinos showed a greater HLOC power of chance subscale score when there was a reported lower frequency of condom use.  The correlations of other Health Locus of Control subscales with HIV preventive behavior tended to be lower and not significant.

The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis that the power of chance subscale would be significantly associated with HIV preventive behavior in Latinos.  Results did not indicate, however, that the power of others subscale was associated with HIV preventive behavior. Also, it was shown that ethnic populations differed in what variables influenced condom use in that significance was found for the variable of power of chance in Latinos but not African Americans.  This supports literature that emphasizes the uniqueness of every culture that should be recognized and respected when working with varying ethnic groups (Blumberg & Hovell, 1997).  A major consideration of this study, however, is that the Caucasian sample was extremely small in comparison to the African American and Latino groups.  Thus, the only true comparison could be made between the African American and Latino populations. Future investigations could attempt to examine more proportionate samples. The results of this study, however, do have practical implications.  The results reinforce the need for additional HIV prevention investigations to research possible elements, such as cultural  norms on contraception and religion, which could be influencing the significance of the power of chance subscale (Hines & Graves, 1998).  Lastly, future HIV prevention interventions could utilize this knowledge of the importance of belief in the power of chance when educating Latinos about condom use.

Black, M., Ricardo, I., & Stanton, B. (1997). Social and psychological factors associated with AIDS risk behaviors among     low-income, urban, African American adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 7, 173-195.

Blumberg, E., & Hovell, M. (1997). Evaluating AIDS-related social skills in Anglo and Latino adolescents. Behavior Modification, 21, 281-308.

Hines, A., & Graves, K. (1998). AIDS protection and contraception among African American, Hispanic, and White women. Health & Social Work, 23, 186-195.

Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS- provides the latest news on the world-wide epidemic of AIDS

American College of Preventive Medicine- describes various issues pertinent to those interested in the practice of preventive medicine

"Surviving AIDS" NOVA online- an extremely interesting website with in-depth information about the HIV/AIDS virus

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