HIV/AIDS-related stigma, immediate families, and proactive coping processes among a clinical sample of people living with HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Publication/Presentation Date

9-1-2019

Abstract

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) engage in proactive coping behaviors to minimize the risk of interpersonal stigma. This study explores proactive coping processes in navigating HIV/AIDS-related stigma within immediate families. Data for this study come from 19 one-on-one, qualitative interviews with a diverse, clinical sample of PLWHA in Philadelphia, PA. Thematic analysis indicated that participants continue to experience enacted, anticipated, and internalized forms of HIV/AIDS-related stigma. Participants discussed status concealment and selective disclosure as proactive coping resulting from anticipated stigma and physical distancing as proactive coping motivated by internalized HIV/AIDS-related stigma. Study findings demonstrate how living with a stigmatized condition can affect PLWHA social interactions with close networks like immediate families, specifically in eliciting stigma-avoidant behaviors. Anti-stigma efforts that educate immediate families to overcome stigmatizing attitudes and provide HIV-positive family members with high-quality social support should be coupled with efforts that target health-promotive self-management strategies for PLWHA.

Volume

47

Issue

7

First Page

1787

Last Page

1798

ISSN

1520-6629

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

31389625

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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