The purposes of this descriptive correlational study were to describe the level of Buddhist practice, health perception, and hope in persons with HIV infection/AIDS and to examine the relationship between Buddhist practice, health perception, and hope in persons with HIV infection/AIDS. The subjects were 88 hospitalized patients with HIV infection/AIDS in Vachira Phuket Hospital and Patong Hospital during February-March 2005. A purposive sampling method was adopted to recruit the subjects. The research instruments were Buddhist practice, health perception, and hope questionnaires. Cronbach's alpha reliabilities of the Buddhist practice, health perception, and hope questionnaires were 0.80, 0.71 and 0.84 respectively. Data analysis was performed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient.
The results were as follows:
1) The mean score of Buddhist practice was at a moderate level. The highest practice score was on the moral behavior aspect, followed by mental development and giving aspect respectively.
2) The mean score of health perception was at a moderate level. The highest perception score was on the illness perception aspect, followed by previous health perception and health worry/concern perception aspects respectively.
3) The mean score of hope was at a high level. The highest hope score was on the specific hope aspect, followed by inner positive readiness and expectancy aspect, hope on the interconnectedness with self and others and inner sense of temporality and future aspects respectively.
4) There were significant positive relationships between Buddhist practice and hope of persons with HIV infection/AIDS (r = .82, p < 0.01), between health perception and hope of persons with HIV infection/AIDS (r = .45, p < 0.01), and between Buddhist practice and health perception of persons with HIV infection/AIDS (r = .50, p < 0.01).
This study can be used as a guideline to promote hope in persons with HIV infection/AIDS by encouraging the patients to have regular Buddhist practice and have appropriate health perception.