STAFF ATTITUDES TOWARDS INDIVIDUALS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES AND AIDS - THE ROLE OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS CLIENT SEXUALITY AND THE ISSUE OF MANDATORY TESTING FOR HIV-INFECTION

This study investigated staff attitudes towards individuals with learn ing disabilities and AIDS in combination with staff attitudes towards client sexuality. Two hundred and forty-six respondents (55% of those invited to participate) from one organisation in Scotland voluntarily and anonymously returned the nine-item Staff Attitudes Towards persons with Learning Disabilities and AIDS (LDAIDS) scale (Murray & Minnes, 1994b) and the Sexuality and Persons with Learning Disabilities Attitu de Inventory (SPLDAI; Brantlinger, 1983; Murray & Minnes 1994a). Resul ts indicated that staff held moderately positive attitudes towards ind ividuals with a learning disability and AIDS. Regression analysis show ed that while controlling for staff demographic and contact variables, attitudes towards client sexuality (SPLDAI) predicted 22% of the vari ance in scores of attitudes towards clients with learning disabilities and AIDS., Forty-four percent of participants employed in a direct re sidential care capacity agreed with mandatory testing of clients for H IV infection. The implications of these findings are discussed with re levance to issues raised by Cambridge (1994) who explored the informed consent/mandatory testing issue. Directions for future research and l imitations of the study are also discussed.