scholarly journals HIV Stigma and Discrimination: Perspectives and Personal Experiences of Healthcare Providers in Yogyakarta and Belu, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelsensius Klau Fauk ◽  
Paul Russell Ward ◽  
Karen Hawke ◽  
Lillian Mwanri

Stigma and discrimination are major challenges facing People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) globally due to their HIV status. As part of a larger qualitative study in Yogyakarta and Belu, Indonesia, using in-depth interviews with 92 PLWHA (52 women, 40 men) and 20 healthcare providers, this paper describes perspectives and personal experiences of the 20 healthcare providers, relating to HIV stigma and discrimination toward PLWHA in both study settings. The healthcare providers were recruited from healthcare facilities providing HIV-related healthcare services, using a snowball sampling technique. A qualitative framework analysis was used to guide data analysis. Health stigma and discrimination framework guided the conceptualisation and discussion of the findings. The findings presented the views and perspectives of healthcare providers that HIV stigma and discrimination toward PLWHA still occurred within families, communities and healthcare settings. These were reflected in negative labelling, separation of personal belongings, avoidance, denial of treatment and rejection of PLWHA by healthcare providers, family and community members. Some healthcare providers reported that they had personally stigmatised and discriminated against PLWHA. A lack of knowledge about HIV, fear of contracting HIV, personal values, religious thoughts and sociocultural values and norms, were reported as drivers or facilitators behind this HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The findings indicate the importance of continued HIV/AIDS education for families, community members and healthcare providers, to raise awareness and to ensure that healthy and professional support systems are in place for PLWHA. The findings indicate the need to enhance improvement within the healthcare or HIV care system to adequately address the needs of PLWHA, which may facilitate their early initiation of HIV treatment and better treatment adherence and retention to increase Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) count and suppress viral load. Future studies are also needed to explore the role that government and non-government institutions can play in improving health service delivery for people newly diagnosed with HIV and those living with HIV/AIDS.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e033790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohit Nair ◽  
Pragya Kumar ◽  
Sanjay Pandey ◽  
Amit Harshana ◽  
Shahwar Kazmi ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore barriers to accessing care, if any, among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in two districts of Bihar. We also aimed to assess attitudes towards PLHA among healthcare providers and community members.DesignThis qualitative study used an exploratory study design through thematic analysis of semistructured, in-depth interviews.SettingTwo districts were purposively selected for the study, namely the capital Patna and a peripheral district located approximately 100 km from Patna, in order to glean insights from a diverse sample of respondents.ParticipantsOur team purposively selected 71 participants, including 35 PLHA, 10 community members and 26 healthcare providers.ResultsThe overarching theme that evolved from these data through thematic coding identified that enacted stigma and discrimination interfere with each step in the HIV care continuum for PLHA in Bihar, India, especially outside urban areas. The five themes that contributed to these results include: perception of HIV as a dirty illness at the community level; non-consensual disclosure of HIV status; reliance on identifying PLHA to guide procedures and resistance to universal precautions; refusal to treat identified PLHA and referrals to other health centres for treatment; and inadequate knowledge and fear among health providers with respect to HIV transmission.ConclusionsThe continued presence of discriminatory and stigmatising attitudes towards PLHA negatively impacts both disclosure of HIV status as well as access to care and treatment. We recognise a pressing need to improve the knowledge of HIV transmission, and implement universal precautions across all health facilities in the state, not just to reduce stigma and discrimination but also to ensure proper infection control. In order to improve treatment adherence and encourage optimal utilisation of services, it is imperative that the health system invest more in stigma reduction in Bihar and move beyond more ineffective, punitive approaches.


Author(s):  
Asli Kulane ◽  
John O. A. Owuor ◽  
Douglas Sematimba ◽  
Sacdia Abdisamad Abdulahi ◽  
Hamdi Moalim Yusuf ◽  
...  

Background: Human Immnodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to take a heavy toll on the lives of many people with worst impact on health and wellbeing for the affected individuals in fragile states. The HIV situation in Somalia is not clearly known and experiences of the people living with HIV in this war-torn region unexpressed. This pilot qualitative study sought to explore the experiences of people living with diagnosed HIV in Mogadishu and their resilience in access to care and social support. Method: Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted in Somali in May 2013 among patients who were receiving Antiretroviral therapy (ART) from the HIV clinic in Mogadishu. Participants were recruited through drug dispensers at the HIV clinic in Benader Hospital. These were tape recorded, transcribed and translated for content analysis. Results: Three women and four men who were living with HIV shared the following narratives. Their perception was that they had either got HIV from their spouces or through health care contamination. They were very knowledgable about the realities of HIV, how the medication works, nutritional requirements and drug adherence. They were always willing to go an extra mile to secure a good life for themselves. However the external HIV stigma impacted their access to care. They faced challenges in their homes and at work which compelled them to seek support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or close family members. This stigma often affected their disclosure to the wider community due to the uncertainity of the repercussions, leading to a life of extreme loneliness and financial difficulties. The participants’ coping mechansms included living together and starting their own NGO for support with very strong optimism about their prognosis. Conclusions: The people living with diagnosed HIV in Mogadishu are highly knowledgeable about HIV transmission, the realities of living with diagnosed HIV infection and efficacy of HIV treatment. Our small sample suggests adequate access to ART through NGOs. However, widespread HIV stigma limits HIV status disclosure to the families and communities which creates a risk of self isolation and ill health. But affected individuals have developed resilient mechanisms of managing the risks. They strive to remain employed for economic security, adhere to HIV treatment, engage in support groups and maintain utmost optimism about their prognosis.


Author(s):  
Nelsensius Klau Fauk ◽  
Karen Hawke ◽  
Lillian Mwanri ◽  
Paul Russell Ward

HIV stigma and discrimination are a major challenge facing people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally. As part of a larger qualitative study with PLHIV in Yogyakarta and Belu, Indonesia, this paper describes the participants’ perceptions about drivers of HIV stigma and discrimination towards them within families, communities and healthcare settings, and highlights issues of HIV stigma as a social process. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis for qualitative data, and conceptualization and discussion of the study findings were guided by the HIV stigma framework. The findings showed that participants experienced stigma and discrimination across settings, including in families and communities by family and community members, and in healthcare settings by healthcare professionals. The lack of knowledge about HIV, fear of contracting HIV, social and moral perceptions about HIV and PLHIV were perceived facilitators or drivers of stigma and discrimination towards PLHIV. HIV stigma and discrimination were also identified as a process linked to the whole groups of people within families or communities, which occurred within social context in Yogyakarta and Belu. The findings indicate the need for HIV education for family and community members, and healthcare providers to enhance their knowledge of HIV and improve acceptance of PLHIV within families, communities and healthcare settings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Morgan Wadams

Transitions into and out of correctional facilities for people living with HIV are a pivotal point in the HIV treatment cascade where adherence metrics are significantly affected. In this paper I use Alvesson and Sandberg’s problematization method of literature analysis to critique and understand the taken-for-granted assumptions underpinning how knowledge is generated within the intersecting fields of HIV, transitions, and corrections. Utilizing problematization, two assumptions underpinning knowledge generation are identified: the linearity of the HIV care continuum model and the tendency to create and perpetuate spatially segregating metaphors of transitions inside versus outside correctional facilities for people living with HIV. These assumptions are discussed in the context of how they shape dominant ways of thinking and practicing in the field. An alternative way to understand transitions for people living with HIV is proposed along with recommendations to guide the HIV care practices of nurses and other healthcare providers.


Author(s):  
Dharma N. Bhatta ◽  
Jennifer Hecht ◽  
Shelley N. Facente

Background: Stigma and discrimination are major challenges faced by people living with HIV (PLWH), and stigma continues to be prevalent among PLWH. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 584 men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV between July 2018 and December 2020, designed to better understand which demographic and behavioral characteristics of MSM living with HIV in San Francisco, California are associated with experience of stigma, so that programs and initiatives can be tailored appropriately to minimize HIV stigma’s impacts. Methods: This analysis was conducted with data from San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) encompassing services from multiple different locations in San Francisco. Data about the level of HIV-related stigma experienced were collected through a single question incorporated into programmatic data collection forms at SFAF as part of the client record stored in SFAF’s electronic health record. We performed linear regression to determine the associations between self-reported experiences of HIV stigma and other characteristics among MSM living with HIV. Results: HIV stigma was low overall among MSM living with HIV who are actively engaged in HIV care in San Francisco; however, it was significantly higher for the age groups of 13–29 years (adjusted risk difference (ARD): 0.251, 95% CI: 0.012, 0.489) and 30–49 years (ARD: 0.205, 95% CI: 0.042, 0.367) when compared to the age group of 50 years and older, as well as people who were homeless (ARD: 0.844, 95% CI: 0.120, 1.568), unstably housed (ARD: 0.326, 95% CI: 0.109, 0.543) and/or having mental health concerns (ARD: 0.309, 95% CI: 0.075, 0.544), controlling for race, injection history, and viral load. Conclusions: These findings highlight an opportunity to develop culturally, socially, and racially appropriate interventions to reduce HIV stigma among MSM living with HIV, particularly for younger men and those struggling with housing stability and/or mental health.


Author(s):  
Hema Malini

Community-level stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV is found all over the world, with people forced to leave their home, change their daily activities such as shopping, socializing or schooling, face rejection and verbal and physical abuse. The objective of the study was to assess the HIV/AIDS stigma among the general public. Quantitative approach  and descriptive research design was adopted for the  present study. The study was conducted in Vallancherry a selected rural village of Kattankulathur . The sample size for the present study was 300. Three point rating scale  was used to assess the HIV/STIGMA and discrimination.The present study findings revealed that among 300 samples none of them reported severe stigma ,50 (16.7%)  participants reported moderate stigma and 250 (83.3%)  participants reported  low stigma. Stigma blocks access to HIV testing and treatment services, making onwards transmission more likely. The removal of barriers to these services is key to end the global HIV epidemic.Key Words : HIV, AIDS, Stigma, Discrimination, Rejection


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