THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE STUDY OF HIV
HIV is transmitted mostly because of people’s behaviour (e.g. sexual intercourse, needle
use). Health psychology has studied HIV in terms of attitudes to HIV, changing these
attitudes, and examining predictors of behaviour. The following observations suggest
that psychology has an additional role to play in HIV:
Not everyone exposed to HIV virus becomes HIV positive. This suggests that
psychological factors may influence an individual’s susceptibility to the HIV
virus.
The time for progression from HIV to AIDS is variable. Psychological factors may have
a role in promoting the replication of the HIV virus and the progression from being
HIV-positive to having AIDS.
Perhaps not everyone with HIV dies from AIDS. Psychological factors may have a role
to play in determining the longevity of the individual.
The potential role of psychological factors in understanding HIV and AIDS is shown in
Figure 14.1.
The role of psychology in AIDS in terms of (1) attitudes to AIDS; (2) susceptibility to
AIDS; (3) progression from HIV to AIDS; and (4) longevity will now be examined.
Attitudes to AIDS
Research has examined attitudes to HIV and the relationship between these attitudes
and behaviour. As AIDS is a new disease, the research into attitudes reflects not only
Fig. 14-1 The potential role of psychology in HIVHIV AND CANCER 331