Communication Department, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya; Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States; c/o University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Communication Studies, Leutze Hall No. 226, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-5933, United States
Miller, A.N., Communication Department, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya; Fellows, K.L., Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States, c/o University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Communication Studies, Leutze Hall No. 226, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-5933, United States; Kizito, M.N., Communication Department, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya
This study examined the impact of controllability of onset (i.e., means of transmission), disease type (HIV and lung cancer), and culture (Kenya and U.S.) on stigmatizing attitudes and goals for supportive communication. Four hundred sixty-four Kenyan students and 526 American students, and 441 Kenyan nonstudents and 591 American nonstudents were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 hypothetical scenario conditions and asked to respond to questions regarding 3 different types of stigmatizing attitudes and 6 types of supportive communication goals with respect to the character in the scenario. Means of transmission had a strong effect on the blame component of stigma, but none on cognitive attitudes and social interaction components. Similarly, although an effect for means of transmission emerged on intention to provide "recognize own responsibility" and "see others' blame" types of support, no effect was evident for most other supportive interaction goals. Although effects for culture were small, Kenyan participants, student and nonstudent alike, were not as quick as American participants to adopt goals of communicating blame in any direction. Implications for measurement of stigma in future research are discussed. Copyright © 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
adolescent; adult; aged; article; attitude to health; comparative study; control; cultural factor; educational status; epidemiology; female; health behavior; human; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; Kenya; lung tumor; male; middle aged; psychological aspect; questionnaire; social psychology; social support; student; United States; university; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Attitude to Health; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Educational Status; Female; Health Behavior; HIV Infections; Humans; Internal-External Control; Kenya; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Precipitating Factors; Prejudice; Questionnaires; Social Support; Stereotyping; Students; United States; Universities