Self- and other-awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS in people with haemophilia and implications for behavioural change.

Many people with haemophilia have been infected by HIV through the contamination of blood products they need for treatment of their bleeding. This study explored the perceptions of people with haemophilia of their own and others' risk of HIV/AIDS and their beliefs about others' perceptions of HIV/AIDS. The results have shown that many patients are not willing to disclose the existence of their haemophilia to certain categories of people and have a firm view of who should and should not know about their HIV antibody status. The patients' beliefs of others' perceptions of HIV and AIDS are associated with (a) their perceptions of risk for themselves and others and (b) with behavioural change to prevent the spread of HIV.