Whereas, our nation lacks some of the basic understanding of human sexual behavior necessary to develop effective programs to prevent unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV infection; and
Whereas, limiting behavioral science and prevention research will result in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV infection and the loss of lives; and
Whereas, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently announced that he would cancel the funding for this research in response to concerns expressed by conservative political groups; and
Whereas, the HHS Secretary has prevented NIH from conducting a national survey of sexual behavior known as the Survey of Health and AIDS Risk Prevalence (SHARP) for over the past four years due to conservative political pressure; and
Whereas, a recent panel convened by HHS recommended the need to insulate NIH from politics; and
Whereas, federally funded research has profited by the peer-review process at the National Institute of Health (NIH); and
Whereas, the actions of the Secretary pose a major threat to peer reviewed research in the United States;
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the American Psychological Association:
- 1) Call upon the Secretary of HHS to reverse his position and continue funding of the adolescent sexual behavior study, and
2) Call upon the Secretary of HHS to promptly approve funding for the SHARP and direct NIH to proceed with their study forthwith,
3) Oppose any Congressional or Administration efforts to restrict federally funded research on sexual behavior; and
4) Protest in the strongest possible terms the threats posed by this action to peer-reviewed research at NIH. (August 1991)
WHEREAS American youth are exhibiting behavior leading to increasing rates of life-threatening or health-compromising sexually transmitted diseases that in part reflect ignorance of sexual health promoting behaviors (National Guidelines Task Force, 1991);
WHEREAS youth infection with HIV/AIDS has reached an epidemic level, particularly among young gay men and ethnic minority youth (National Commission on AIDS, 1993), in part because of lack of knowledge and lack of training about protective behaviors;
WHEREAS children are becoming involved in sexual activities at younger ages (Ravoira & Cherry, 1992; Singh & Wulf, 1990);
WHEREAS over one million teenage women become pregnant annually (National Guidelines Task Force, 1991) and approximately 300,000 of these teenagers become homeless or runaways or both (Ravoira & Cherry, 1992);
WHEREAS the prevalence of sexual intercourse appears to be higher among youth who did not receive sexuality education (Furstenberg & Crawford, 1986);
WHEREAS youth whose sexual orientation or whose values, beliefs, and practices differ from those deemed acceptable by many in our society are subject to persistent, subtle, or overt harassment and violence which may lead to suicide (Schaecher, 1988);
WHEREAS youth with a physical or mental disability may be more vulnerable to sexual coercion;
WHEREAS stranger rape, date rape, sexual abuse, and other forms of sexual violence are traumatic events that have become increasingly prevalent (Koss et al., 1994);
WHEREAS sexual health, personal self-esteem, and the ability to participate in responsible, caring, and stable relationships, as well as to develop positive interpersonal social attitudes can be promoted through education (Gordon & Schroeder, 1995);
WHEREAS the American Psychological Association has a necessary and important role in influencing public policy to the benefit and protection of youth in particular and the society in general;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the APA supports access to information on sexuality as critical to healthy development. Such information should be positive, age appropriate, and culturally suitable, and should respect the choice of abstinence; it should acknowledge women's rights, should foster shared responsibility among males and females for sexual behaviors, and should promote tolerance for sexual diversity; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that APA public policy support the development and adoption, including research and evaluation, of such comprehensive sexuality education curricula and programs for the promotion of healthy sexual attitudes and behaviors and the prevention and mitigation of endangering and destructive behaviors. It is to be noted that this resolution does not endorse any particular curriculum, procedure, or site for instruction[, but seeks to promote a choice of means for implementing this resolution]. (February 1996)
- Furstenberg, F. & Crawford, A. (1986). Teenage sexuality, pregnancy, and child welfare. In J. Laird & A. Hartman (Eds.), Handbook of child welfare: Context, knowledge, and practice. New York: Free Press.
Gordon, B.B. & Schroeder, C. (1995). Sexuality. New York: Plenum.
Koss, M. P., Goodman, L. A., Browne, A., Fitzgerald, L. F., Keita, G. P., & Russo, N. F. (1994). No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
National Commission on AIDS. (1993). Behavioral and social sciences and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Washington, DC.
National Guidelines Task Force. (1991). Guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education: Kindergarten - 12th grade. New York: Sex Information and Education Council of the U.S.
Ravoira, LaW. & Cherry, A. (1992). Social bonds and teen pregnancy. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing Co.
Schaecher, R. (1988). Stresses on lesbian and gay adolescents. Independent Schools, 29-35.
Singh, S. & Wulf, D. (1990). Today's adolescent, tomorrow's parent: A portrait of the Americas. N.Y.: Alan Guttmacher Institute.
WHEREAS the epidemic of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) currently threatens the physical health, mental health, and civil liberties of many persons in American society, and
WHEREAS, in 1986 the American Psychological Association adopted a comprehensive resolution outlining APA policies surrounding AIDS, including APA's strong commitment to public education regarding AIDS and its prevention, as well as education to combat irrational public fears of AIDS and its transmission, and
WHEREAS, empirical research has demonstrated that, in addition to imparting knowledge, educational programs designed to effect behavior change should address topics of decision making, risk assessment, attitude change, group norms, and other social and psychological processes, and
WHEREAS, an important strategy for such education should be to provide children and adolescents of all cultural and socio-economic groups with information about AIDS that is gender-relevant, culturally sensitive, and appropriate to their level of intellectual, emotional and social development, and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, has asserted that 'education concerning AIDS must start at the lowest grade possible as part of any health and hygiene program'.
WHEREAS, effective AIDS education for all age groups must address the behaviors through which AIDS can be transmitted, including but not limited to sexual behavior and sharing of intravenous needles and paraphernalia, and must do so as accurately and explicitly as possible while remaining appropriate to the age and developmental level of the members of targeted audiences, as well as their culture and language,
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the American Psychological Association supports the Surgeon General's Report on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (1986),
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that APA urges that information about AIDS, its transmission and prevention be incorporated into elementary and secondary school curricula in conjunction with educational programs concerning sexuality, drug use, health, and family issues; and that such education be provided at the earliest grade possible, and in a manner appropriate to the child's level of intellectual, emotional, and social development. Priority should be given to culturally and linguistically appropriate prevention and education efforts targeted at Black, Hispanic, and Native American youth. The development of such curricula and programs should be accomplished with all deliberate speed by local boards of education, working closely with parents.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that APA recognizes the importance for AIDS prevention of providing clear and accurate information about sexual behaviors and sharing of needles and syringes, and that the APA deplores attempts by governmental or other institutions to restrict the effectiveness of community-based AIDS-prevention organizations, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the APA urges increased funding from governmental and private sources for basic and applied research and evaluation relevant to AIDS education and risk reduction, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the APA urges its members to provide their expertise to develop, implement, and evaluate AIDS education and risk-reduction programs. (1988)
The Board of Directors and Council voted to approve the following resolution on legal liability related to confidentiality and the prevention of HIV transmission:
Whereas the status of privileged communication between psychologists and client is legally protected;
Whereas information regarding an individual's HIV status may be particularly sensitive given the personal nature of such information and the potential for discrimination involved;
Whereas providers of psychological services are also concerned about the prevention of HIV transmission and promotion of the public health;
Whereas respect for personal dignity, protection of clients/patients from harm, and promotion of access to mental health services demand protection of confidentiality in all but the most extraordinary circumstances;
Whereas psychological services to HIV-infected individuals make an important contribution to the reduction of risk behaviors that spread such infection;
Whereas legislatures considering exceptions to privileged communications in cases involving HIV infection may benefit from the APA position on this issue;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that APA's position on legislation regarding confidentiality and the prevention of HIV transmission is as follows:
- 1. A legal duty to protect third parties from HIV infection should not be imposed.
2. If, however, specific legislation is considered, then it should permit disclosure only when (a) the provider knows of an identifiable third party who the provider has compelling reason to believe is at significant risk for infection; (b) the provider has a reasonable belief that the third party has no reason to suspect that he or she is at risk; and (c) the client/patient has been urged to inform the third party and has either refused or is considered unreliable in his/her willingness to notify the third party.
3. If such legislation is adopted, it should include immunity form civil and criminal liability for providers who, in good faith, make decisions to disclose or not to disclose information about HIV infection to third parties. (August 1991)
The Board of Directors and Council voted to adopt the following resolution on Neuropsychological assessment and HIV infection:
Whereas concern has been raised that some persons who are infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS experience intellectual, cognitive or neuropsychological difficulties;
Whereas many persons with HIV disease and AIDS do not have clinically significant intellectual, cognitive, or neuropsychological deficits;
Whereas establishing the existence of intellectual, cognitive, or neuropsychological impairment requires the use of reliable, valid and appropriate assessments;
Whereas HIV antibody and antigen testing determine only the presence of viral infection;
Whereas HIV serological screening is not a sensitive, specific, or appropriate indicator of intellectual, cognitive, or neuropsychological status;
Whereas determination of functional, intellectual, or cognitive impairment requires a direct psychological assessment of intellectual, cognitive, or neuropsychological status;
Therefore, be it resolved that serological screening for HIV infection cannot be used to assess functional, intellectual, or cognitive impairment. (August 1991)
The Board of Directors and Council approved the following resolution:
WHEREAS one method of transmitting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, from one person to another is through blood residue in shared drug injection equipment;
WHEREAS a large proportion of HIV-infected persons are injecting drug users;
WHEREAS epidemiological projections regarding the future of the AIDS epidemic point to widespread transmission of HIV among injecting drug users and their sexual partners;
WHEREAS injecting drug users and addicts frequently have limited access to sterile injection equipment on a regular basis;
WHEREAS the U.S. government has supported very limited AIDS prevention research involving equipment exchange or other means for addicts to acquire sterile injection equipment;
WHEREAS curtailment of equipment exchange in research projects limits the pursuit of knowledge about the total array of AIDS prevention techniques that may be effective among injecting drug users;
WHEREAS access to health care systems to acquire injection equipment creates a nexus for offering other services to addicted persons, including health-related education and treatment;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the APA advocates greatly expanded research, especially demonstration research, on the legal availability of sterile injection equipment as a method of preventing HIV transmission among injecting drug users. Such research should be in the context of also providing other services for drug users, including drug abuse treatment and treatment for HIV infection. (August 1992)
That APA develop recommendations on AIDS prevention within ethnic minority populations and communicate these to public and private agencies conducting AIDS education and prevention programs. (1987)
Recognizing that the epidemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) threatens the mental health and civil liberties, as well as physical health, of many persons, the American Psychological Association adopts the following resolution:
- 1. The importance of psychosocial and mental health components of AIDS should be stressed in treatment, research, and prevention programs.
2. APA is also concerned about the public health aspects of AIDS and about he physical and mental health of the public. Therefore APA supports the greater expenditure of public funds for public education regarding AIDS and for the accurate dissemination and utilization of the most current scientific information regarding the prevention and treatment of AIDS.
3. Necessary mental health services and facilities for persons with AIDS, AIDS-related conditions, or an exaggerated fear about the threat of AIDS should be widely available.
4. Given current research evidence that individuals do not become infected with the AIDS virus through casual contact, the American Psychological Association deplores the exclusion of persons with AIDS or those suspected of having AIDS from housing, employment, education, or necessary professional services.
5. The American Psychological Association condemns the use of the AIDS epidemic as a vehicle for fostering prejudice or discrimination against any group or individual.
6. Until there are empirical data linking specific tests with the eventual development of AIDS, the American Psychological Association condemns indiscriminate testing to detect exposure to AIDS.
7. Psychologists are urged to combat irrational public fears of AIDS through education and other professional activities including teaching of courses, lectures to the public, counseling and therapy, consultation, and research regarding the fear of AIDS.
8. Large-scale identification of AIDS seropositive persons, a major public health goal, clearly requires adherence to the requirement of confidentiality of patient records. We urge that this customary ethical tenet be strictly followed in all dealings with persons voluntarily screened for the AIDS virus. (1986)