An exploratory study on the effectiveness of the Barth assertiveness training package with the emphasis on reducing high-risk behaviour for HIV infection and AIDS.

Abstract

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) may be viewed as one of the world's most feared diseases. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been identified as the cause of AIDS. The HIV has the unique characteristic that an infected person may remain asymptomatic and continue to infect others without knowing it. This feature, coupled with the fact that at the present time there is no known cure for AIDS and HIV infection, has made it extremely difficult to control the spread of AIDS. It is estimated that everyone who is HIV infected will eventually die. This has left people and especially the youth all over the world uncertain and afraid of what the future may hold for them. It was, thus, the intention of the present study to investigate the efficacy of the Barth assertiveness package. It was argued that this skills training package would positively increase the subjects' knowledge of AIDS, their perceived risk of AIDS, attitude and behaviour towards condoms and also reduce their number of sexual partners. A Repeated Measures Design was used in collecting the data. 90 subjects completed a questionnaire before and after the implementation of the Barth package. 30 of the subjects were assigned to an Experiment group (Group 1) and 60 to Control group (Group 2). The results of the study showed that the subjects of Group 1 did not differ significantly from the subjects of Group 2 in respect of their level of AIDS knowledge, perceived risk of AIDS, attitude and behaviour towards condoms as well as their number of sexual partners. The package had no effect on outcome. It was also concluded that AIDS intervention campaigns which focus on the provision of AIDS information and assertiveness skills are only partially effective and that researchers should examine the role of psychosocial factors in these intervention campaigns. The present study should be seen as the initial stage in a process of developing a more effective AIDS intervention strategy.