Stigma and seroconversion are a few familiar words that come to mind when dealing with HIV/AIDS. These are a few processes that people go through when they are indentified as being HIV positive. This is when their life on whole comes into contrast. This is so because people often take things like sex for granted and it is because of this some can’t live a healthy lifestyle. Just imagine finding out that you are positive. How will society accept you? What about the stigmatization that one goes through. Can you imagine the physical, mental and emotional torments of the person’s life? Many people are left to walk in shame because of the fact that people usually do little to educate themselves about the virus. Even with the awareness of how to protect your self against the virus there is still a stigma attached to people living with the disease.
The stigma attached to the HIV/AIDS virus causes damage to society. On occasions, it causes even more damage than the virus itself. Because of stigmas, people are usually treated as though they are socially unequal to the people casting judgments upon them. Stigmas give people the sense that inequalities are reasonable and therefore that makes it acceptable. These issues arise because stigmas are attitudes and beliefs that are brought about because people often do not take time to get educated with factual information. It is quiet common for the average human to be contented with unscholarly information.
People are often discriminated against because they have been identified as HIV positive. Obtaining jobs, socializing and building families are all things we take for granted but we do not keep in mind that these are quiet a difficult tasks that require a lot of courage and persistence ...
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...namer, David. J, and Julie Honnold. "AIDS Education and Prevention." Differences in disclosure of sexuality among African American and White gay/bisexual men: Implications for HIV/AIDS prevention. 12.6 (2000): 519-531. American Pschological Association. Web. 4 Dec. 2009.
Lewis, John E. "The name assigned to the document by the author. This field may also contain sub-titles, series names, and report numbers. HIV/AIDS Risk in Heterosexual College Students. A Review of a Decade of Literature.." The name assigned to the document by the author. This field may also contain sub-titles, series names, and report numbers. HIV/AIDS Risk in Heterosexual College Students. A Review of a Decade of Literature. 45 (1997): p147-58. www.google.com. Web. 4 Dec. 2009.
Mcnaught, Brian. "Gay issues in the work place." Common Questions. dont know: Brian Mcnaught, 1993. pg 96-116. Print.
Even after the disease and its modes of transmission had been correctly identified, fear and ignorance remained widespread. In the mid 1980s, “AIDS hysteria” became a well known term in the media and public life. For example, a magazine published details about how extensive AIDS/HIV related discrimination became. “Anxiety over AIDS in some parts of the U.S. is verging on hysteria,” the authors wrote; they later published this disturbing example:
They base their findings on the National Health and Social Life Survey, which found that those born after 1942 were “more sexually active at younger ages” than those born from 1933-42, and the trend toward greater sexual activity among young people “appears to halt or reverse” among those born from 1963-72. In addition to these facts, an English survey of more than 14,000 students from 19 universities and colleges about their hookup, dating, and relationship experiences revealed that 72% of students experience a hookup at least once by their senior year in college, but hooking up hasn’t replaced committed relationships and is not a new concept to young adults. The evidence is convincing and shows that students often participate in both at different times during college (69% of heterosexual students participated in a relationship lasting at least 6 months by senior year as well.) Based on this, the amount of hookups and committed relationship by college students seems to even out over
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2013). HIV and aids among gay and bisexual men. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/CDC-MSM-508.pdf
HIV has many psychological aspects which can impact on the way a patient behaves. Stigma and non-adherence are just two aspects associated with the disease. Many individuals have negative attitudes towards people with HIV and this can result in HIV patients suffering from discrimination. Bad quality healthcare and patients being fearful of seeking treatment are just two of the outcomes of stigma (Mandal, 2013). It has been known for healthcare professionals to withhold treatment, breach confidentiality and isolate HIV patients when not necessary (Engenderhealth, 2004a). Homosexual men have always been at the forefront of HIV stigma and in 1985 Dougal et al conducted a study about homophobia on 128 nurses and physicians. The results showed that ten per cent felt that homosexual men were responsibl...
The stigmatization and discrimination that goes hand and hand with a positive diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is overwhelming. FreeDictonary.com defines discrimination as the “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” In essence, discrimination is about actions and stigma relates to beliefs and attitudes. Both however are built up on negative views of a person just because they are apart of a specific group. All over the world, there are well-documented cases of people living with HIV that are being denied the right to health- care, work, education, and freedom of movement, among others. (UNAIDS 2005) This stigma and discrimination exist globally, although it appears differently...
AIDS discrimination is a bit more complex than that against patients with other diseases. Although years of education has decreased the discrimination in the clinical care setting toward patients with AIDS, prejudice stills occurs. Twenty-six percent of patients with AI...
Martinez, Jamie, and Sybil G. Hosek. "An Exploration of the Down-low Identity: Nongay-identified Young African-American Men Who Have Sex with Men."National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
The main reason why this article was written was because there was a lack of attention on risk behaviours regarding women’s HIV prevention in the US. Since women have not been paid attention to, they are more susceptible then men in contracting HIV/AIDS. We need to design a risk reduction program that pays more attention to women.
Forty million people worldwide are infected with the HIV virus. About six percent of them will not inform their intimate partners about their health condition. Many efforts that have been made over the past decade towards establishing a HIV/AIDS law, have finally paid off. The act of disclosing the virus was written in 1990. It caused quite a stir among the citizens of the United States. Many people concluded that there were holes in the disclosure law concerning HIV/AIDS because it lacked complete thought. Some felt that if HIV positive people had to tell others about their condition, they would be more susceptible to discrimination and rejection. Essentially, it was a law that ended a few problems and then led to a massive predicament.
Lightfoot, M. A., & Milburn, N. G. (2009). HIV prevention and African American youth: examination of individual-level behavior is not the only answer. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11(7), 731-742. doi:10.1080/13691050903078824
Condom use is higher among young men who worry more frequently about AIDS when the effects of other factors are held constant. Between 1988 and 1991, however, sexually experienced teenagers showed declines in the frequency with which they worried about AIDS, how serious they thought AIDS was, and the likelihood they would get AIDS. These reductions were associated with lower levels of condom use.
Crawford, E., O’Dougherty, W., & Birchmeier, Z. (2008). Drug-facilitated sexual assault: College women’s risk perception and behavioral choices. Journal of American College Health, 57(3). 261.
There is many sources of the stigma but one of the main source is people’s ignorance
Stigma is a powerful tool of social control. Stigma can be used to marginalize, exclude and exercise power over individuals who show certain characteristics. While the societal rejection of certain social groups (e.g. 'homosexuals, injecting drug users, sex workers') may predate HIV/AIDS, the disease has, in many cases, reinforced this stigma. By blaming certain individuals or groups, society can excuse itself from the responsibility of caring for and looking after such populations. This is seen not only in the manner in which 'outsider' groups are often blamed for bringing HIV into a country, but also in how such groups are denied access to the services and treatment they need.
Bawer, Bruce. A Place at the Table: The Gay Individual in American Society. New York: Poseidon, 1993. Print.