AIDS STIGMA AND CONTACT WITH PERSONS WITH AIDS - EFFECTS OF DIRECT AND VICARIOUS CONTACT

This paper examines the relationship between AIDS-related stigma and ( a) direct, personal contact with people with AIDS (PWAs), and (b) vica rious contact-through mass media-with a public figure with AIDS or HIV . Data are presented from a 2-wave national telephone survey with a pr obability sample of U.S. adults (ns = 538 at Wave 1; 382 at Wave 2) an d an oversample of Black Americans (ns = 607 and 420, respectively). D irect contact with a PWA was associated with less support for coercive AIDS policies, less blame for PWAs, and less avoidance of PWAs. Vicar ious contact-operationalized as the self-reported impact of Earvin ''M agic'' Johnson's disclosure of his HIV infection-appeared to have its greatest impact among respondents who previously had manifested high l evels of stigma. In that group, levels of stigma diminished somewhat t o the extent that respondents reported having been strongly influenced by Johnson's announcement.