Enfrentamento e percepção da mulher em relação à infecção pelo HIV

Abstract

OBJECTIVETo analyze women’s perceptions and coping regarding the discovery of an HIV infection.METHODSA qualitative study in an HIV/AIDS Specialist Helpdesk in Recife, PE, Northeastern Brazil, from January to September 2010, involving eight women living with asymptomatic HIV aged between 27 and 37 years, without criteria for diagnosis of AIDS infected through intercourse and monitored by the service for at least one year. Forms were used to characterize the clinical situation and semi-structured interviews to understand perceptions and feelings related to personal trajectory after diagnosis and different ways of facing the diagnosis in family and social life. Content analysis was performed as suggested by Bardin.RESULTSThe thematic category that emerged was stigma and discrimination. The women had life trajectories marked by stigma, which was perceived as discrimination after the diagnosis and in the experiences of everyday life. The revelation of the infection was perceived as limiting to a normal life, leading to the need to conceal the diagnosis. The discriminatory attitudes of some health care professionals, non-specialist in HIV/AIDS, had a negative impact on future experiences in other health services. Besides the effects of institutional stigma, the perception of women was that the service did not include dedicated space for the expression of other needs beyond the disease, which could help in fighting the infection.CONCLUSIONSLiving with HIV was strongly linked to stigma. The results show the importance of strengthening educational approaches and emotional support at the time of diagnosis in order to facilitate coping with the condition of seropositivity.

The dynamics of the production of AIDS-related stigma among pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…After being diagnosed, generally through a primary health care facility, the women were referred to public health services to prevent mother-to-child transmission. None of the interviewees had taken a test prior to diagnosis or had even considered the possibility of being infected, as the following account illustrates "my god, if I hadn't got pregnant I would have never found out" (RG, 19).…”

“…The fear of moral judgment associated with AIDS stigma was further aggravated by a fear of breakdown in social and family support networks. As a result, concealing the diagnosis, otherwise defined as "stigma management", is one of the main strategies adopted by people diagnosed as HIV-positive to manage the disease in the face of stigma (or deteriorated identity) 18,19,20,21 .…”

Representações sociais de mulheres frente a descoberta do diagnóstico do HIV / Women social representations in face to HIV diagnosis disclosure

“…31 According to Galvão et al (2011), one of the important factors to facilitate the achievement of results favorable to therapeutics is the adequate communication between patients and professionals in the healthcare process, providing information in order to increase the knowledge of patients to encourage adherence to the therapeutic regimen.…”

“…The person with HIV must be seen by all, regardless of whether the woman and the child born to HIV are entitled to equal care and treatment free of prejudice. 31 The HIV/AIDS seropositivity has altered the life quality of affected women, both at personal and at professional levels. Examples are, respectively, a decrease in self-esteem and difficulty in getting a job.…”

Daily Experience Of HIV Positive: A Qualitative Study

“…In this context, through studies conducted with eight participants in the city of Recife-PE demonstrate that living with HIV has been strongly linked to stigma of death and prejudice [19]. It is of great importance to strengthen the educational forms and emotional support at diagnosis to further combat the serum positivity condition.…”