Social stigma towards people with HIV/AIDS, in dentistry students from Concepción

ABSTRACT

Objective: Characterize HIV/AIDS Social stigma towards people with HIV/AIDS in a sample of dentistry students from Concepción. Materials and methods: Cultural adaptation and pre-test were developed for the Stigma and HIV/AIDS Scale in dental students. Researchers collected the data from the instrument, demographic (sex/age), and academic information (course/training in HIV/AIDS, knowing a person with HIV/AIDS, provision of dental services to people living with HIV/AIDS [PLHIV]). To characterize the sample, univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics were performed with absolute and relative frequencies; the reliability of the scale was assessed with Cronbach's alpha; the relationship between the quantitative and ordinal variables was analyzed with the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: The final sample comprised 138 dental students, whereas most of them reported not having training in HIV/AIDS nor providing dental services to PLHIV. Stigma and HIV/AIDS Scale showed good reliability. Two items expressing that PLHIV must disclose their condition to health professionals so they can take precautions have the highest values. A weak inverse correlation was found between Stigma and the variables age and course. Conclusions: Dental school students from Universidad of Concepción have a low social stigma towards people with HIV/AIDS. Items regarding professional practice showed higher stigma levels.