nephrology-chronic-diseases-2019-posters-abstracts

18 / 18

Page 46
Volume 2 Journal of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Annual Nephrology & Chronic Diseases 2019
May 20-21, 2019
Nephrology
Chronic Diseases May 20-21, 2019 London, UK
19th Annual Conference on
3rd International Conference on
&
Socio-cultural construction of HIV/AIDS stigma among African migrant women in
lower saxony, Germany
Joyceline Ntoh Yuh
University of Oldenburg, Germany
An estimate of 80,000 people are living with HIV in Germany with 4,400 sero-positive persons in the
State of Lower Saxony which counts amongst the high HIV prevalence states in Germany. HIV is now
classified as a chronic disease, but many sexually active people do not still know their HIV status. In so
doing, HIV-related stigma stands as a major barrier in seeking VCT especially within African communities.
Gender and culture play a significant part in the aftermath of the infection. Women are more likely to be
blamed for the transmission of HIV compared to men. All these complicate the disclosure of infection and
prevention of HIV transmission. HIV prevention efforts are slowed down by societal and cultural factors
that largely lead to stigmatization of infected individuals. The current research therefore, examines the socio-
cultural construction of HIV stigma and dilemmas as African-migrant Women struggle to cope with the
challenges posed by HIV/AIDS in their day to day lives. The social context of HIV-related stigma is reflected
in negative behaviors including discrimination, denial, secrecy and self-blame. Most HIV infections are
through heterosexual transmission, a mode of transmission closely linked to promiscuity and the resultant
HIV-related stigma. The complexity surrounding HIV-related stigma cannot be ignored considering the
fact that, it is layered amongst other stigmas such as gender and promiscuity (Skinner & Mfecane, 2004).
Intersectionality is an ideal framework for analyzing complex health inequalities that occurs among HIV-
infected subgroups especially African Women whose experiences are different from that of men. Multiple
factors often precipitate stigmatization experiences and their social identities at the individual level such as
being female, ethnic minority, low economic status which interlocks with oppressive forces at the macro level
e.g. classism or sexism which creates social injustice. It is vital to examine the underlying aspects creating
and re-enforcing HIV-related stigma in order to design culturally sensitive interventions. Thus, redefining
HIV/AIDS from the social perspective during it's outbreak which initially created stigma, needs to be
addressed especially by medical personnels, social workers and Religious leaders in order to eradicate it. The
qualitative study had a convenient sample of six participants based on the fact that, most women declined
to participate due to stigma and also not being comfortable having an African researcher involved. The
lived experiences of participants were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis approach,
to gain a better understanding of their perspectives in its own term, than simply focusing on theoretical
underpinnings. The study shows how the psychological impact of HIV continues to affect sero-positive
women negatively in living fulfilled lives with other related anxieties, impacting on their overall wellbeing.
J Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment, Volume 2