HIV/AIDS among Adolescents in Eastern Europe: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, Social Representations of Risk and Sexual Activity among School Children and Homeless Adolescents in Russia, Georgia and the Ukraine

• Published in: Journal of health psychology 2004-05, Vol.9 (3), p.381-396
• Main Authors: Goodwin, Robin, Kozlova, Alexandra, Nizharadze, George, Polyakova, Galina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Age Distribution; Analysis of Variance; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Eastern Europe; Female; Georgia (Republic); Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - psychology; HIV Infections - transmission; Homeless young people; Homeless Youth - psychology; Homeless Youth - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Knowledge; Male; Philosophy; Risk-Taking; Russia; Secondary schools; Sex Distribution; Sexual Behavior - ethnology; Sexual Behavior - psychology; Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Social Perception; Social representation; Students; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Ukraine
• ISSN: 1359-1053; 1461-7277
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105304042348

The two studies reported here focus on knowledge and representations of HIV/AIDS (study 1) plus sexual behaviour and hedonistic values (study 2) among 14–17-year-old school children and similar aged shelter children. Results indicate that shelter children are more sexually active, less knowledgeable about means of HIV transmission and are more likely to hold stereotyped representations of those most at risk of infection. Russian respondents were the most sexually active, a finding which could at least be partly explained by their higher levels of hedonistic values. These findings are discussed in the context of a climate of continuing social change in this region.