Community Reaction to Persons with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) and Families of PHAs in Thailand

Mark VanLandingham, Tulane University
Chanpen Saengtienchai, University of Michigan

Data collected for a broad study of the impact of AIDS on older persons in Thailand provide an excellent opportunity to systematically explore community reaction to PHAs and their families from a variety of perspectives and data source. Each data source includes a series of questions to assess community reaction, since it is a key objective of the broader study. These sources include a survey of young adult PHAs (n=425); a survey of parents who suffered the death of an adult child to AIDS (n=394 cases and 376 controls); a KAP study of AIDS that includes both older and young adults (n=1174); and quantitative data from local key informants about cases in their area (n=285 cases). Data were collected from a variety of settings throughout Thailand. Predictors were explored at several levels: the community, the source of information, the older parent, and the PHA.