A journey to HIV prevention research: From social psychology to social health via multidisciplinarity

Abstract

This is a personal account of my research in HIV prevention from 1984 to the present day. It demonstrates my disquiet with the individualism of psychology as a way of thinking about what was needed to prevent HIV transmission. HIV prevention requires social transformation which is produced via changes in social practices and norms of communities and networks rather than by changes in behaviours of individuals. My colleagues and I developed a 'social health' model of social transformation that involves enabling communities to modify their social practices by building on emergent community responses, responses that were identified by the use of a reflexive research methodology.

A wager on the future: a practicable response to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the stubborn fact of process

“…Based on the concept of 'shared responsibility' between sexual partners for preventing HIV transmission, the practice of using condoms for anal intercourse became known as 'safe[r] sex' (Escoffier, 1998). However, with few exceptions (see for example, Davis,1996;Kippax and Race, 2003;Kippax, 2017), an explicit account of the important role of the social sciences and humanities in this initial phase has largely been neglected. As we shall go on to illustrate, these disciplines were integral to what Stengers (1997: 216) raises when she refers to 'posing the problem clearly'.…”

HIV care cascade and sustainable wellbeing of people living with HIV in context

“…In the end, both consider the causal factors operational in achieving the viral suppression to be similar to those causal factors that will make that outcome state stable and sustainable: in essence that individuals can maintain the state of viral suppression once achieved. But the sustainability of such stability in individuals’ lives relies on different dynamics and how these influence individual health practices . These dynamics include personal choices, attitudes, interpersonal relations, infrastructure, access arrangements.…”

Social Support Networks of People Recently Diagnosed with HIV in Queensland: A Qualitative Exploration

“…Yet I am also aware that self-management in the context of homes and communities is now the norm for many people living with chronic health conditions. Driving my interest in a social public health was the knowledge that now, more than ever, clinicians must engage with families, communities, educators, researchers and public figures to positively impact the health and wellbeing of those in our care (Kippax, 2018). Incorporating the social into public health is necessary both to prevent chronic conditions and improve the health outcomes for those living with these conditions.…”

“…HIV prevention and care in Australia began as a collective effort with partnerships across community, governments, medicine and research (Kippax, 2018). Efforts targeted many fronts, with a concerted focus on community-led education and prevention, along with the development of novel treatments and efforts to uphold human rights and best-practice social care for those at risk of, and living with, HIV and AIDS (Kippax & Stephenson, 2012).…”

“…In the absence of biomedical interventions, the early HIV response was grounded in community and socially driven initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of those at risk, or living with HIV (Kippax, 2018). With increasing calls to reimagine how the scope of HIV care extends beyond the virus (Lazarus et al, 2016;Rhodes et al, 2018), a shift in focus beyond the clinic walls is needed, to reengage with the strong, socially driven foundation of HIV care (Kippax, 2018). I believe it is important to capitalise on the success of the Australian HIV response, both biomedically and socially, to ensure PLHIV can achieve health, wellbeing and quality of life.…”