According to the Public Health Agency of Canada HIV – the Human Immunodeficiency Virus - is a virus that attacks the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness that leaves people vulnerable to opportunistic infections and cancers. (Canada 2008) Essentially over time, when your body can no longer battle the virus it progresses into a disease know as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. The transmition of HIV occurs when a person’s contaminated body fluids enter another individual. Unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral), sharing needles, using unsterilized equipment for body modification, mother to infant transmition, as well as occupational exposure in health care are all ways HIV can be spread. HIV/AIDS as an illness is relatively new. The first reported case of AIDS in the world was in 1981, and a year later in Canada. Scientists all around the world are busy searching for a cure or vaccine to treat the millions of people internationally dying of HIV/AIDS.
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...
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Same-sex marriage is now legal, spouses now have rights to pension benefits, continued insurance coverage, immigration laws are applied, as well as the right to tax filing status. Most people are allowing themselves to be more educated when it comes to homosexuality. Nurses who are more empathetic and compassionate tend to be those who work among PLWHA, or people living with HIV and AIDS, and are associated with lower feelings of psychological distress. There are also several studies that depict the more negative attitudes of health care providers towards patients with HIV/AIDS for reasons such a general fear of working with the terminally ill, perceptions of personal risk, being professionally adjudicated upon, fear of contracting the disease, and the unwillingness to work with patient populations including but not limited to homosexuals and intravenous drug users. These findings are consistent with Allport’s social psychology theory of intergroup contact (SOURCE), a theory that describes a weakened prejudice caused by increased contact with “an out-group” leading to a more positive attitude toward that group. In regards to nurses, it was found that the perception of stigma related to HIV influences their job satisfaction significantly. Research has also shown that
There are still many issues that the government has been trying to address. One barrier that continues to exist is the stigma of HIV/AIDS. People avoid getting tested and sick individuals would wait until they were extremely ill before seeking treatment. The government has countered social stigma through a public health campaign to promote HIV testing. As more people participated in testing, public attitudes started changing (Glassman, 2016, p.28). Still, many traditionally at risk groups continue to be vulnerable. Female sex workers, young adults, and men who have sex with men, have lower rates of HIV testing and have less knowledge about HIV prevention (Glassman, 2016, p.28). Addressing these populations will require additional social
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...
Waddell and Messeri (2006) found that disclosure to potential helpers is required to gain the most social support possible and that concealing one’s status can limit access to available resources, reduce potential support, and may lead to lower treatment rates. Huber (as cited in Kalichman, DiMarco, Austin, Luke, & DiFonzo, 2003), found that social support, can help to buffer the stress associated with living with HIV and can lead to better emotional health in this population, including a lower incidence of depression. On the other hand, disclosing one’s status is often hindered by the stigma associated with HIV and the fear of rejection and isolation (Deribe, Woldenmichael, Wondafrash, Haile, & Ameberbir, 2008). In a study done in Pakistan regarding stigma specifically in the workplace, researchers found that negative stigma in the workplace can result in negative workplace outcomes, which may lead to a loss of financial support (Bashir,
Gilbert, L. S. (2009). Society, Health and Disease in a Time of HIV/AIDS. South Africa: Pan Macmillan.
Additionally, individuals who are HIV positive will likely try to hide their diagnosis, resulting in the avoidance of treatment or inconsistency of treatment among other dangerous behaviours. Finally, the stigma of HIV/AIDS has been found to result in the denial of services and discrimination which can make accessing care more difficult. Understanding the full affects of HIV/AIDS stigma on health and disease prevalence could help reduce the incidents of HIV/AIDS. Finally, it could improve quality of life for individuals diagnosed with
Zukoski, A. P., & Thorburn, S. (2009, November 4). Experience of Stigma and Discrimination among Adults Living with HIV in a Low HIV-Prevalence Context: A Qualitative Analysis. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 23(), 267-275.
In chapter 5 the section relating to The Restrictions on HIV-infected Healthcare Workers was an intriguing portion of the chapter. This topic seldom is discussed in the workplace or in upper level occupational health management. The discussion generally surrounds the healthcare worker and their protection measures against becoming affected from the patient. Rarely, do we hear about the HIV-infected worker and their obligations when working with the patient. The three ethical points surrounding the HIV-infected healthcare worker are, should the healthcare worker perform invasive procedures, should the HIV-infected healthcare worker inform their patients, and should the practice of the HIV-infected worker have restrictions? These were all question
Health care workers are expected to be compassionate and helpful to the people diagnosed with this chronic virus, but instead patients are often faced with more discrimination. Meili et al. (2015) discovered that many physicians were denying patients access to necessary HIV treatment because of their substance use addiction. This is dangerous because by not attaining the proper care HIV positive individuals can end up with worse problems including progression to AIDS, transmitting the virus to others, and even death. People reported having unreliable support systems in their home life, so when they turn to health care providers they expect them show support considering they are professionals (Harvey et al., 2014; Meili et al., 2015), but instead they are met with prejudice. This can be so frustrating for individuals who only want to better themselves and seek the necessary care they require. Patients should be met with an open mind and a patient centred approach instead of the inequity they are currently facing.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) lists 82 countries that have criminal laws against sexual activity between homosexual individuals. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; world’s leading refugee agency who provide international relief for displaced people, those who self-identify as lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual often become victims of discrimination, exploitation, imprisonment, extortion, and torture. Moreover, there still remain seven countries in the world that punish same sex relationships or same sex intercourse with the death penalty (ILGA, 2015). Other nations, in spite of not considering homosexuality as an illegal act, still persist in their cultural stereotypes
...s been made evident that disclosure can cause loss of employment, the breakdown of relationships and families as well as rejection from sexual partners. Consequently, those who suffer from the issues that come with disclosure also suffer from poor mental health and low self-esteem. Additionally, the article also states that, “leading a double life is psychologically disturbing” positing the unseemly notion that experiencing discrimination due to HIV status is not harmful to an individual’s mental health, despite copious evidence that it has an extremely detrimental affect on mental health, and in some cases, physical health.
From the moment scientists identified HIV and AIDS, social responses of fear, denial, stigma and discrimination have accompanied the epidemic. Discrimination has spread rapidly, fuelling anxiety and prejudice against the groups most affected, as well as those living with HIV or AIDS. It goes without saying that HIV and AIDS are as much about social phenomena as they are about biological and medical concerns. Across the world the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has shown itself capable of triggering responses of compassion, solidarity and support, bringing out the best in people, their families and communities. But the disease is also associated with stigma, repression and discrimination, as individuals affected (or believed to be affected) by HIV have been rejected by their families, their loved ones and their communities. This rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south.
And since facing the problem is the first step toward solving it, I hope this paper changes how others think about people with HIV.
HIV does not only affect the well-being of individuals, it has large impacts on households, communities and even nations as a whole. Peer discussions and personal research has also made me realize that some of the countries suffering from this HIV epidemic also rather unfortunately suffer from other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, relative poverty and economic stagnation. Despite these setbacks, new inte...