DOUBTING THE EXPERTS - AIDS MISCONCEPTIONS AMONG RUNAWAY ADOLESCENTS

Many homeless and runaway adolescents may be at a high risk for HN inf ection. Ideas about the severity of AIDS, possible modes of transmissi on, and the integrity of those who provide information about HIV/AIDS come into play as youths make safer sex decisions. Information on yout hs' ideas about these issues can be used to improve the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS education programs that target them. We interviewed 98 ado lescents at two youth shelters in Cleveland, Ohio over a one-year span in 1992-93. When asked directly, two-fifths of the youths said that H IV/AIDS information is being held back from us; one-fifth reported tha t their beliefs differed from those of the experts. However, analysis of interview discourse suggested that the number of doubters actually may be much greater, and that doubting the experts may be a logical re action to discrepancies in the HIV/AIDS information received as well a s to historical and contemporary social and political factors. Intervi ew responses also suggested that youths' generally high HIV/AIDS knowl edge scores may reflect rote memorization rather than comprehension; t he new information may be internalized in ways that fit with preexisti ng AIDS understandings.