HIV Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitude towards People Living with HIV/AIDS among Medical Students in Jordan

Abstract

The stigmatizing attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be a major barrier to effective patient care. As future physicians, medical students represent a core group that should be targeted with focused knowledge and adequate training to provide patient care without prejudice. The aim of the current study was to examine HIV/AIDS knowledge, and the stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA, among medical students in Jordan. The current study was based on a self-administered online questionnaire, which was distributed during March–May 2021, involving students at the six medical schools in Jordan, with items assessing demographics, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and HIV/AIDS stigmatizing attitude, which was evaluated using the validated HIV-stigma scale. The total number of respondents was 1362, with predominance of females (n = 780, 57.3%). Lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study participants was notable for the following items: HIV transmission through breastfeeding (40.8% correct responses), HIV is not transmitted through saliva (42.6% correct responses), and vertical transmission of HIV can be prevented (48.8% correct responses). Approximately two-thirds of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards PLWHA. For six out of the 14 HIV/AIDS knowledge items, lack of knowledge was significantly correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. Multinomial regression analysis showed that a significantly more negative attitude towards PLWHA was found among the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students (odds ratio (OR): 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.97, p = 0.036); and that affiliation to medical schools that were founded before 2000 was associated with a more positive attitude towards PLWHA compared to affiliation to recently founded medical schools in the country (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.42–2.42, p < 0.001). About one-third of medical students who participated in the study displayed a negative attitude towards PLWHA. Defects in HIV/AIDS knowledge were detected for aspects involving HIV transmission and prevention, and such defects were correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. It is recommended to revise the current medical training curricula, and to tailor improvements in the overall HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be reflected in a more positive attitude towards PLWHA, particularly for the recently established medical schools in the country.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude of Dental Students towards HIV and Its Oral Manifestations in Saudi Arabia—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Overall, students at clinical study level showed a better knowledge regarding HIV transmission routes compared to the preclinical study level ( Table 1 ), which is in agreement with studies by Sallam et al [ 25 ] and Al-Kadhim [ 26 ]. Although HIV transmission through saliva in the dental environment has not yet been established [ 27 ], only 41% of the dental students in our study were aware of this finding.…”

Assessing Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge and Their Confidence in the Diagnosis and Management of Human Monkeypox: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Middle Eastern Country

“…This result was uniform across all sociodemographic and occupational categories. Although this finding does not necessarily imply a negative attitude towards MSM stricto sensu, it should be evaluated further especially in the Middle East region, where a few studies pointed to the generally negative attitude towards MSM in the context of HIV infection, besides the reporting of social stigma and bullying towards COVID-19 patients in the early phases of the pandemic [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. This issue needs further evaluation in future studies, since in the words of the WHO Director General “stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus” [ 1 ].…”

Structural Equation Model Analysis of HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitude, and Sex Education Among Freshmen in Jiangsu, China

“…Empirical evidence suggests mixed reports regarding the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and practice among university students ( 18 ), previous studies on students' HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among undergraduates university and college students ( 19 – 21 ), and few studies have conducted HIV-/AIDS-related KAP survey among the freshmen. The purpose of this study is to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and sex education of freshmen from the Jiangsu colleges and universities, we also analyzed factors affecting the overall awareness rate of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and explore the relationship between sex knowledge, attitudes, and education.…”