Mosquitoes, Doorknobs, and Sneezing, Relationships Between Homophobia and AIDS Mythology Among College Students

Abstract

Previous research indicated that homophobia may interfere with making realistic risk assessments regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and internalizing accurate information about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in general. We investigated relationships among homophobia, risk assessments, and knowledge about AIDS in the college population. Data were collected as part of a larger probability sample survey. Results support the hypothesis that homophobia is positively related to the degree of risk associated with pseudorisk behaviors in the context of HIV infection. Furthermore, results indicate that homophobia is also related to several real risk factors. In general, the greater a student's homophobia, the less likely he or she was to make realistic risk assessments. Results also show that the degree of homophobia of respondents varied on the basis of specific knowledge about AIDS and the interaction of specific knowledge with gender. Discussion focuses on homophobia as a fuel for AIDS mythology with implications for interpersonal communication with people with HIV/AIDS and for developing AIDS prevention campaigns for the college population.