Allocation of drug benefits to HIV positive patients: influence of patients’ sexual orientation and method of disease transmission

The goal of the present study was to examine the role of method of disease transmission, sexual orientation, and beliefs regarding whether sexual orientation is a choice in predicting attitudes toward people living with HIV/ AIDS (PLHAs). Participants read one of four vignettes describing an HIV positive male applying to a prescription drug coverage program. Participants then completed a questionnaire assessing their support for admittance to the drug coverage program, whether they believe sexual orientation is a choice, attributions of control, responsibility, and blame, willingness to provide help personally, and attitudes toward gay men. The study tested three hypotheses: (1) Participants would respond more negatively to targets that had control over their HIV infection. (2) Sexual orientation would moderate transmission effects such that participants would attribute more control, responsibility, and blame, and express less willingness to help gay than heterosexual men when infection was uncontrollable. (3) Beliefs regarding whether sexual orientation is a choice would moderate the relationship between transmission and sexual orientation such that when infection was uncontrollable, participants who believe sexual orientation is a choice would respond more negatively to gay men than heterosexual men. Overall, the study supported the first hypothesis with the exception that transmission method did not influence willingness to provide help personally. The study did not support the second hypothesis; however, there was some support for the third hypothesis. When infection was uncontrollable, participants who believe sexual orientation is a choice were less likely to support admittance to the drug coverage program for gay than heterosexual men.