AIDS Attitude Scale – AAS
Measures attitudes, empathy, and tolerance toward people with HIV/AIDS across contagion concerns, moral issues, and legal/social welfare dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The AIDS Attitude Scale – AAS was developed by Jacque Shrum, Norma Turner, and Katherine Bruce (1989). It is designed to measure Attitudes and empathy toward people with HIV/AIDS. The scale is intended for use with College students and general adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 54 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Contagion Concerns, Moral Issues, Legal and Social Welfare Issues.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Contagion Concerns | 3,4,5,6,8,9,12,13,14,16,19,21,24,26,29,36,37,46,51,53 | 20 |
| Moral Issues | 10,11,17,22,23,27,28,30,33,35,39,40,44,47,48,54 | 16 |
| Legal and Social Welfare Issues | 1,2,7,15,18,20,25,31,32,34,38,41,42,43,45,49,50,52 | 18 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 29 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Tolerance / High Stigma: 0 – 50
- Moderate Tolerance: 51 – 75
- High Tolerance / Empathy: 76 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha = .94 – .96.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.