The data for the study were collected from 358 university students, whose ages ranged from 17 to 55 and who read scenarios describing workplace situations in which a worker was ill. Responses came from completed questionnaires and surveys indicating their reactions to the situation. The findings indicate that the respondents would react most negatively to an AIDS patient, perhaps because of a fear of contracting the disease or the participants' knowledge of AIDS transmission was limited. Interestingly, the respondents did not adjust their interactions depending on whether or not they perceived the worker to have had control over contracting his disease; this finding contradicts previous research. However, the control manipulation in the study was effective, as respondents saw some patients as more responsible for their condition than others. The respondents' reactions to AIDS patients were apparently highly related to their attitudes toward homosexuals. 3 tables, 28 references. (Author abstract modified)