AEGiS-11IAC: A training long-term effects addressed to health care personnel working with young gays and bisexuals.

11th International AIDS Conference

Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

A training long-term effects addressed to health care personnel working with young gays and bisexuals.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:34 (abstract no. LB.C.6060)
Vassal A, Otis J, Chouinard N, Pilote F; Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Fax: (514) 288-0606.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term effects of a two phases training, addressed to personnel from health and social services as well as community network, working eventually, with young gays and bisexuals.

METHODS: A nonequivalent control group design was planned with pretest (before Training; TI) and posttest (more than 8 months after training; T2) measures. The final sample of the experimental group was constituted by 89 participants who attended the first phase of the training. Among them, 45 attended an additional workshop six weeks later. The control group was constituted by 119 participants. At T1 and T2, participants completed a mailed questionnaire which measured seven psychosocial variables, in order to evaluate how the training objectives were reached. Analysis of covariance was used for each variable to bring out the training effects in its two phases. The analysis included different interactions. For each variable the unstandardized regression coefficient (b) represents the gain acquired by the experimental group.

RESULTS: For those who attended the first phase, the training had a positive effect on: the participants knowledge towards homosexuality and bisexuality (b: 1.13, p is less than 0.0001); their attitude towards masculine homosexuality (b: 5.33, p is less than 0.007); their perception of having sufficient knowledge to work adequately with young gays and bisexuals (b: 7.51, p is less than 0.0001) and their self-efficacy to take actions during the exchange (counseling, prevention) (b: 7.77, p is less than 0.0007). For those who attended the second phase, the training improved their attitude toward masculine homosexuality (b: 2.04, p is less than 0.03) and their supportive role for young gays and bisexual (b: 1.23, p is less than 0.0002). On the opposite, the training did not show any impact on the participants perception towards personal and organizational resistances in their workplace concerning the eventual implementation of specific services addressed to gays.

CONCLUSIONS: A training addressed to health care personnel can have a positive and long term impact on their knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy towards homosexuality and their supportive role for gays. This can drive to changes of practices on an individual level. Nevertheless, changes of practices on an institutional level would require additional strategies. The phase I of the training was planified and funded by Centre quebecois de coordination sur le sida. This study was funded by the Ministere de la Sante et des Services sociaux (Quebec).

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LBC6060