Ethnic Groups Difference in Discriminatory Attitude Towards HIV/AIDS Patients Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Author:
BH Chew
;
AT Cheong
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Stigma;
People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA);
Undergraduate Medical
- MeSH:
Students, Medical;
Education, Medical
- From:Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences
2014;10(1):61-69
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Medical students are future doctors who are trained to treat all kinds of diseases including people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) without prejudice. Teaching basic scientifi c knowledge and technical skills
is no longer adequate for today’s medical students. There is also a need for them to be provided with
high personal and professional values. This study examined stigmatizing attitude towards people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) among the medical students in a public medical school. The participants
were stratifi ed to preclinical-year (year 1 and year 2) and clinical-year (year 3 and year 4) medical
students. Simple random sampling was carried out to select 170 participants from each category of
students. Self-administered questionnaires captured socio-demographic data, HIV/AIDS knowledge and
stigmatisation attitudes towards PLWHA. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship
between ethnic groups and stigmatization attitude. Three hundred and forty participants were recruited.
Malay medical students who did not have previous encounter with PLWHA were associated with
stigmatizing attitude towards HIV/AIDS patients, whereas clinical-year medical students who had
no clinical encounter with PLWHA were more likely to feel uncomfortable with PLWHA. Malay
ethnicity and medical students in clinical years who had not encounter a PLWHA were more likely to
have stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA.
Keywords:
- Full text:P020150604499179191666.pdf
