Work-related fear of AIDS and social-desirability response bias

• Published in: Psychological reports Vol. 65; no. 2; p. 371
• Main Author: O'Brien, F P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1989
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adult; Aged; Fear; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Occupations; Personnel Management; Personnel Selection; Prejudice; Social Desirability
• ISSN: 0033-2941
• DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1989.65.2.371

The focus of the current research was on development of a short scale to measure work-related fear of AIDS for use in field research and on assessment of the extent to which its ability to predict managers' intentions to discriminate were free of social-desirability response-bias effects. Based upon a sample of 198 managers from southern US manufacturing, service, and government organizations, the study yielded a 5-item scale with particularly strong test-retest reliability of .88 and internal consistency indicated by Cronbach alpha of .92. While initial evidence was promising regarding predictive validity, social desirability was correlated with both fear of AIDS and one of the criterion variables but accounted for very little common variance. Techniques suggested by Ganster, Hennessey, and Luthans (1983) to detect social desirability response bias were employed and did not yield moderator, spurious, or suppression effects. Supplementary analysis showed that respondents in manufacturing exhibit significantly stronger fear of AIDS than either service or government managers. Significant but weak correlations of -.16 and -.20 were found between fear of AIDS and subject's sex and education. Males and the less well educated tend to express greater fear of AIDS. Implications are discussed regarding research and practice in management.