Preliminary results in the development of a 15-item scale to measure managers' beliefs about the consequences of employing AIDS victims are reported. Study participants included 248 managers in southeastern U.S. manufacturing, government, and service organizations. Principal components analysis of the proposed scale yielded three dimensions including reduced revenues, workplace disruptions, and increased insurance costs. Evidence of predictive validity is presented and support is also provided for the hypothesis that fear of AIDS in the workplace is a construct distinct from perceived consequences of AIDS in the workplace.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AIDS: when fear takes charge. (1987)U.S. News & World Report, 103(Oct. 12), 62–70.
2.
BoutonR. A.GallaherP. E.GarlinghouseP. A.LealT.RosensteinL. D.YoungR. K. (1987) Scales for measuring fear of AIDS and homophobia. Journal of Personality Assessment, 51, 606–614.
3.
Centers for Disease Control. (1989) AIDS and human immunodeficiency virus infection in the United States: 1988 update. U.S. Morbidity, Mortality Weekly Report, 38(S-4), 1–38.
4.
ChapmanF. S. (1986) AIDS & business: problems of costs and compassion. Fortune, 114(6), 122–127.
5.
CronbachL. J. (1951) Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297–334.
6.
FettnerA. G.CheckW. A. (1985) The truth about AIDS: an evolution of an epidemic. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
7.
FeuerD. (1987) AIDS at work: fighting the fear. Training, 24, 61–71.
8.
HairJ. F.AndersonR. E.TathamR. L.GrablowskyB. J. (1984) Multivariate data analysis. New York: Macmillan.
9.
KaiserH. F. (1958) The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23, 187–200.
10.
LoganW. B. (1987) How to deal with AIDS in the workplace. Venture, 9(5), 110.
11.
NorusisM. J. (1985) SPSSx advanced statistics guide. Chicago, IL: SPSS, Inc.
12.
O'BrienF. P. (1989) Work-related fear of aids and social-desirability response bias. Psychological Reports, 65, 371–378.
13.
PaveI. (1985) Fear and loathing in the workplace: what managers can do about AIDS. Business Week, No. 2922 (Nov. 25), 126.
14.
Refusal to work because of AIDS. (1986)Industrial Relations Update, 2(4), 1–11.
15.
Shuttleworth v. Broward County, 639 F. Supp. 35 (SD Fla. 1986).
16.
SpectorP. E. (1987) Method variance as an artifact in self-reported affect and perceptions at work: myth or significant problem?Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 438–443.
