Influence of scary beliefs about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study on willingness to participate in research.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess whether scary/alarming beliefs about details on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (TSS) are associated with willingness and/or fear to participate in biomedical research.

Methods: Scary beliefs about TSS were examined for 565 Black and White adults who had heard of the TSS. Multivariate analyses by race were used to measure association.

Results: No association between scary beliefs and willingness or fear to participate in research was found (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: These findings provide additional evidence that awareness or detailed knowledge about the TSS does not appear today to be a major factor influencing Blacks' willingness to participate in research.