Violence, Interpersonal Trust and Gullibility in HIV Risk in Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using Rotter’s social learning theory in understanding violence, interpersonal trust and gullibility in HIV prevention. The study examines social learning concepts and how they can be applied to HIV prevention programmes in violent circumstances. The study surveyed forms of violence prevalent in Africa that can make people vulnerable to HIV infection. The forms of violence discussed in this paper are: political violence, intimate partner violence, violence against minority groups, domestic violence, violence against orphaned and vulnerable children, and violence against gays and lesbians. The argument of this paper is that violence is more likely to lower people’s levels of interpersonal trust and it could be associated with gullibility in HIV prevention.

AFRICA INSIGHT Vol 42 (1) – June 2012