Recent advances in the fight against HIV have increased the life expectancy of those infected. Despite these, a number of barriers such as stigma continue to affect HIV prevention and treatment. Although the body of work on HIV stigma is growing, there is a paucity of literature on the experiences of specific sub-groups such as African immigrants living with HIV. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a sample of these immigrants in the US, this study examines their experiences of HIV-related stigma, its impact on their lives, and the means of coping and resistance they adopted. Like other persons living with HIV, study participants experienced interpersonal, internalized and institutional stigma. However, their experiences of, and responses to stigmatization are shaped largely by cultural/religious assumptions and perceptions about HIV learnt from their countries of origin and western media's construction of HIV. The study concludes with broader implications for further conceptualization of stigma.
Effects of HIV related stigma on the lives of persons living with HIV