Stigma and Discrimination: Two Vital Social Oppressions Influencing on Disclosure of HIV Status by Patients with HIV / AIDS

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Email: mina_amiri_p@yahoo.com

2 Associate Professor of Anthropology and Health Studies, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Email: vedadha@ut.ac.ir

Abstract

Stigma and discrimination are two social oppressionsor social pressure, which reduce the tendency of individuals for HIV/AIDS status disclosure and limit accessibility of patients with HIV/AIDS to support and health care, which can affect their physical and emotional health. As a social constructed, stigma related to HIV is associated with structural and institutional discriminations. Stigma process is created by interaction of three factors: environment, health care system and intermediaries, and associated with numerous personal and social consequences associated. Stigma related to HIV/AIDS may associate with personal characteristics such as age, education, gender and progression of disease. Patients who disclosure their HIV/AIDS status may expose with stigma and discrimination; therefore HIV/AIDS disclose can be a substantial social risk or social wastage for them. So, HIV/AIDS is considered as a global intersectional inequality, which affected by social oppressions such as racism, gender discrimination, classism,ableism and disability. This oppressions simultaneously and systematically aggravate faults, social equities and equalities. There is a vicious cycle between stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. Stigma and discrimination occur both at individual and social levels, therefore interventions preventing stigma must be devoted to improve the socio-cultural contexts in addition to individual training. Structural, cultural, political and socio-economic factors affect HIV/AIDS experience; they also play an important role in shaping developments and prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS. Modifying these structural factors and intersectional relations can enhance efficiency of interventional programsin patients with HIV/AIDS in the society





Stigma and discrimination are two social oppressionsor social pressure, which reduce the tendency of individuals for HIV/AIDS status disclosure and limit accessibility of patients with HIV/AIDS to support and health care, which can affect their physical and emotional health. As a social constructed, stigma related to HIV is associated with structural and institutional discriminations. Stigma process is created by interaction of three factors: environment, health care system and intermediaries, and associated with numerous personal and social consequences associated. Stigma related to HIV/AIDS may associate with personal characteristics such as age, education, gender and progression of disease. Patients who disclosure their HIV/AIDS status may expose with stigma and discrimination; therefore HIV/AIDS disclose can be a substantial social risk or social wastage for them. So, HIV/AIDS is considered as a global intersectional inequality, which affected by social oppressions such as racism, gender discrimination, classism,ableism and disability. This oppressions simultaneously and systematically aggravate faults, social equities and equalities. There is a vicious cycle between stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. Stigma and discrimination occur both at individual and social levels, therefore interventions preventing stigma must be devoted to improve the socio-cultural contexts in addition to individual training. Structural, cultural, political and socio-economic factors affect HIV/AIDS experience; they also play an important role in shaping developments and prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS. Modifying these structural factors and intersectional relations can enhance efficiency of interventional programsin patients with HIV/AIDS in the society.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Social Problems of Iran
Volume 8, Issue 2
December 2017
Pages 1-23

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