HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination refers to the prejudiced attitude and abuse that is directed towards people living with HIV and AIDS. Studies show that more than 50% of the HIV and AIDS patients receive some form of discrimination at some point in their lives ( Castro & Farmer, 2005 ). While discrimination and stigma have been associated with vulnerability and reduced access of care for the people living with HIV and AIDS, these people have continued to experience stigma and discrimination that is usually based on race, socioeconomic status, age, and sex and gender identity. Stigma can occur at various levels including shunning by family members, healthcare providers as well as a wider community. Researchers have claimed that whenever HIV and AIDS have won, there is always a shame, stigma, distrust, apathy, and discrimination, but whenever it is defeated, it is due to trust and openness as well as family support. Stigma and discrimination of the people living with HIV and AIDS can lead to poor care within the healthcare facilities, hopelessness, loss of reputations, reduced care at home and increased deaths due to HIV and AIDS.
According to World Health Organization, stigma and discrimination of the HIV and AIDS patients can lead to poor care for at the healthcare facilities. Myths and culture are always associated with discrimination of the HIV patients. People believe that HIV is majorly caused by sex, and whenever one contacts HIV, people view him/her negatively. Some healthcare workers have been reported to discriminate the HIV patients during care and treatment. A study by the UNAIDS also found that individuals who report levels of stigma and discrimination in the healthcare facilities are four times more likely to receive poor care ( Moyer & Hardon, 2014 ). Once they are discriminated, the victims are more likely to avoid going on medication at the health facilities and this will affect their overall recovery and well- being.
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While the healthcare professionals play a key role in medically assisting the infected population as well as providing a life-saving information on how to live a healthy life even with the virus, HIV related discrimination have constantly remained prevalent in some countries ( Liamputtong, 2015 ). This discrimination in the healthcare setting can take many forms including inappropriate counseling or testing without consent. Some healthcare professionals may also minimize their contacts with the HIV patients, delay or even deny treatment or sometimes demand additional payments for them to receive services while at the same time isolating the HIV patients in separate rooms. These discriminatory actions against the HIV patients can lead to poor care or even the patients may choose to stay home and avoid going for treatment at the healthcare facilities for fear of being discriminated. The end result will be poor health outcome for the victims.
Discrimination and stigma are associated with hopelessness among the people living with HIV and AIDS. Many people associate HIV with death, and once a person has contracted HIV virus, people only view him/her in terms of death. As result, many people, especially friends and even family members will isolate themselves from the person. This leads to prolonged depression which eventually results in hopelessness. It is undoubtedly clear that HIV is a condition that always meets everyone with a shock. After a shock of testing HIV positive, such a person requires psychological and social support to enable them to cope with the shock of having to live the rest of their lives with the HIV virus. This is definitely the reason why HIV patients get counseled after the test so that they can be helped to understand that testing positive is not the end of life and that they can still live a healthy life at their condition.
However, the situation gets worse when after the shock of testing positive; a person gets isolated by close friends and family members. This can truly be disheartening, frightening and painful. Discrimination makes people see themselves worthless and that the only thing they can do is to die. Such feelings have even led to people attempting suicide when they feel they cannot cope with the situation at a time when everyone runs away from them. Once a person becomes hopeless, it is less likely that such a person will go to the health facility to seek treatment. Instead, they will just sit home, get depressed and more hopeless and at the end, they will be unable to fight the condition.
Stigma and discrimination of the HIV and AIDS patients can also lead to reduced care at home. Emotional and social support is essential for the better health outcome of the people living with HIV. Social support, care, and love will make these people feel that despite their condition, there is still hope. Emotional and social support is mainly a key responsibility of family members. However, studies by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) have shown that over 50% of the women living with HIV have experienced discrimination and stigma from close family members, friends or even colleagues ( Nachega et al., 2012 ). This leads to reduced care for the victims which as a result affect their overall health outcome. At homes, people living with HIV require care and love from the family members. At the workplace, they need social and emotional support from the colleagues so that they can develop a feeling of hope. However, if such close friends and family members lead in the discrimination; the HIV patients may lose self-esteem. In the end, they may fail to seek treatment for fear of further discrimination.
A survey of the married HIV positive women showed that 56% report to be discriminated by their own family members and the community ( Monteiro, Villela& Knauth , 2012). Members of the community are also essential in giving the HIV positive members of the community social and emotional support. However, most community members discriminate their HIV positive individuals. Discrimination by family and community members can come in various forms which may include isolation and denial of certain community services. The isolation of the HIV positive members of the family can make these people feel hopeless which can then affect their overall recovery and well-being
The overall impact of stigma and discrimination of the HIV positive patients can result in a high number of deaths as well as high rate of spreading of the virus. According to World Health Organization, people who are discriminated and stigmatized are four times more likely to die early as a result of HIV than those who are not discriminated. Stigma and discrimination can make HIV positive individuals shy away from seeking medication due to fear of further discrimination. As a result, the virus count in the body will rise to levels that make the body vulnerable to other opportunistic infections. When these opportunistic infections get in, the patient is more likely to die. According to UNAIDS and WHO, fear of stigma and discrimination is the main reason why people get reluctant to go get tested for their status, disclose their status to family members or even take the ARVs. Due to this fear, individuals stay without knowing their status and this leads to more spread of the HIV virus. Studies indicate that most people get tested at the latest stage of the HIV/AIDS when the viral count is high due to fear of discrimination. At this latest stage, it gets difficult to manage the HIV condition and patients are more likely to die as a result. For example, in the United Kingdom, a large number of people only get diagnosed with HIV when it has reached advanced levels known as CD4 count below 350. At this stage, the ARVs are less likely to help keep the virus inactive and a person is more likely to die.
Stigma and discrimination have also led to the loss of one’s reputation. Due to the cultural beliefs of some of the societies, people with HIV/AIDS are considered evil because of the belief that it is only contracted through sex. Due to this belief, HIV positive get discriminated by the society members who pass judgments on them. In the end, HIV positive patients lose their reputation and respect in the society. Studies have shown that some people living with HIV decide to quit their jobs and stay in homes after the public knows that they are HIV positive. In many communities, HIV and AIDS are associated with shame and disgrace to the community members. Such judgments have negative impacts on the overall well-being of the HIV patients.
In conclusion, stigma and discrimination of the people living with HIV and AIDS can lead to poor care within the healthcare facilities, hopelessness, loss of reputations, reduced care at home and increased deaths due to HIV and AIDS. The epidemic of fear, discrimination as well as stigma has reduced the individual’s abilities as well as that of the societies and families to protect themselves and offer social, emotional as well as financial support to those affected. This at-large hinders the efforts that are being made to stem out the epidemic by complicating decisions such as testing, the disclosure of status as well as counseling on protection behaviors.
References
Castro, A., & Farmer, P. (2005). Understanding and addressing AIDS-related stigma: from anthropological theory to clinical practice in Haiti. American journal of public health , 95 (1), 53-59.\
Liamputtong, P. (2015). Stigma, Discrimination and Living with HIV/AIDS . Springer.
Monteiro, S., Villela, W. V., & Knauth, D. (2012). Discrimination, stigma, and AIDS: a review of academic literature produced in Brazil (2005-2010). Cadernos de Saúde Pública , 28 , 170-176.
Moyer, E., & Hardon, A. (2014). A disease unlike any other? Why HIV remains exceptional in the age of treatment. Medical Anthropology , 33 (4), 263-269.
Nachega, J. B., Morroni, C., Zuniga, J. M., Sherer, R., Beyrer, C., Solomon, S., ... & Rockstroh, J. (2012). HIV-related stigma, isolation, discrimination, and serostatus disclosure: a global survey of 2035 HIV-infected adults. Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care , 11 (3), 172-178.
