THE RELATIONSHIP OF JOHNSON,MAGIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIV-INFECTION TO THE AIDS ATTITUDES OF JUNIOR-HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS

One month after Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive fo r human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 103 junior high school students were surveyed about the impact of his announcement on their desire to learn about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), their worries a bout vulnerability to HIV infection, and their anxiety about interacti ng with a person with AIDS (PWA). Students also were administered esta blished AIDS-related scales of knowledge, vulnerability worries, and s ocial anxiety. Their scores on these scales were compared to the score s of different students from the same school sampled at three previous times. As expected, 58% of the students reported a desire to know mor e about AIDS, and 40% reported increased worries about vulnerability t o HIV infection because of Magic Johnson's announcement. Contrary to e xpectations, 21% reacted with a report of increased anxiety about inte racting with a PWA whereas 12% reported less anxiety. Also contrary to expectations, when compared with the pre-announcement groups, the pos t-announcement students had lower scores on the vulnerability worry sc ale, indicating less worry about personal vulnerability to HIV infecti on. Results are discussed in terms of the possible influences of socia l desirability bias and perceptions of personal risk.