Scientific Journal of

  Abstract

 Background and Objectives

 To prevent the transmission of HIV through blood transfusion, blood transfusion centers have embarked on deferring high risk prospected donors by pre-donation consultation and screening blood donors to discard contaminated blood units. Since the deferal of high risk blood donors in consultation sessions in Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization plays a major role in the decrease of HIV risk in donated blood units and considering that high risk behaviours which expose people to HIV are usually deemed taboo making them abstain from speaking about, this study aims to evaluate impact of bar code in gaining the confidence of blood donors to address the questions with a special focus on HIV.

 Materials and Methods

 This study was descriptive. The physicians in blood centers were required to address deferred blood donors with questions about their history of intravenous drug use and unsafe sexual behaviors. Their responses were then reported by a bar-code method as positive or negative. Blood samples of such deferred blood donors were also tested for HIV. SPSS software was finally used for data analysis.

 Results

 Out of 36312 rejected blood donors, 349(1%) deferred had experienced both unsafe sexual behavior and intravenous drug use, 1735(4.8%) unsafe sexual behavior, 267(0.7%) intravenous drug use, and 33961(93.5%) considered themselves free from the both. Out of the 43 contaminated with HIV, 0% fell in the first group, 1(0.58%) in the second, 0% in the third, and 42(1.2%) in the fourth.

 Conclusions

 Since the recognized ways of HIV transmission in Iran are intravenous drug use (in 60.8% of cases) and unsafe sexual behavior (in 7.3% of cases), the high prevalence rate of HIV in rejected blood donors with none of these experiences strengthens the hypothesis that even the use of bar code method can not be effective in assuring them to disclose their confidential information.

 Key words : Intravenous drug abuse, Sexual behavior, HIV , Blood donation

  Abstract

 Background and Objectives

 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has social, psychological, and biological consequences thereby changing it into a phenomenon that could threaten mental health of society and even those affected. Thus, in the present research we have aimed to study the two-way impacts of personality disorders and AIDS in patients exposed to high-risk behaviors.

 Materials and Methods

 The main purpose of this research is to perform a comparative study of personality and psychological disorders among HIV positive and negative individuals. Consequently, 60 people were selected as the sample group from whom 30 were the ones under treatment in Mashad Consultation Center for Infectious Diseases and Behavioral Disorders the others were 30 non-infected people who were selected randomly. They all were assessed by means of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–II. The obtained data were finally analyzed by the use of T-test and Man-withney test.

 Results

 The results displayed the fact that HIV positive individuals compared with HIV negative ones suffered a higher level of emotional and behavioral disorders in their lifetime. Schizotypal personality, borderline disorder, paranoid, anxiety, dysthymia, alcohol and drug dependence, thought disorder, major depression and delusional disorder were the problems investigated.

 Conclusions

 Unfavorable procedures of psychological growth can impair the personality development thereby making people susceptible to being infected with disease provoking factors including AIDS being affected with AIDS in turn can act as an effective variable in emergence of emotional and psychological impairments.

 Key words : Personality Disorders, HIV, AIDS, High risk behavior�

  Abstract

 Background and Objectives

 Recognizing people's attitudes has a pivotal role in the process of their attraction to voluntary blood donation. This study compares the effectiveness of three-fold Theory of Planned Behavior and two-fold Theory of Rational Action beliefs on voluntary blood donation among Tehran women.

 Materials and Methods

 The present research was descriptive-correlative. A group of 425 Tehran women was selected by stratified sampling method. The data were collected using a questionnaire based on TRA and TPB, and t-test and Chi-square statistical indexes were applied for the analysis and model fitness using LISREL software.

 Results

 Findings expressed an equal ability in both patterns to predict blood donation behavior. The significance index was obtained to be 0.34 (t = 5.83) for TRA, and 0.30 (t = 4.96) for TPB in the relationship between behavioral attitude and intention, respectively. This index was obtained to be 0.55 (t = 9.69) for TRA and 0.51 (t = 8.63) for the other pattern in the relationship between normative beliefs and intention. It was also obtained to be 0.14 (t = 2.42) in the relationship between perceived behavioral control and intention. The impact of normative ethics was greater than the impact of people's behavioral attitudes on their intention.

 Conclusions

  Behavioral and normative ethics were effective on people intention towards blood donation, and the utility of normative beliefs is more than the other type in this respect. Thus, the reinforcement of this belief through the mass media can be an appropriate technique to create a social value called "Blood Donation".

Background and Objectives

Safe blood is one of the important necessities of clinical settings. Furthermore, blood donation has many benefits for donors. The purpose of this study was to assess the theory of planned behavior on blood donation behaviors of the staff.

Materials and Methods

In this descriptive study, 280 administrative staff in Arak city were selected by random sampling in 2014. The required data about the demographic characteristics and theory of planned behavior were collected by questionnaire. The two groups of blood donors and non-donors were then compared. The data were analyzed with t-test, SPSS 20 and Chi-square.

Results

About 56 percent of the participants in this study were blood donors with only 14.3 percent being regular blood donors. The blood donor group was significantly higher than non-donor in age, years of service and body mass index. Moreover, blood donation rate in men was more than women (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in education and marital status between the two groups. The mean of knowledge, attitude, perceived behavioral control and intention in blood donors was significantly higher than the other group.

Conclusions

The study showed that the level of knowledge, attitudes and perceived behavioral control in the blood donor group was significantly higher than the other. Therefore, it seems necessary to design training programs with emphasis on these constructs especially in young people and female staff.