Collective AIDS activism and individuals' perceived self-advocacy in physician-patient communication

Abstract

In a study of AIDS activism and communication patterns between people with HIV or AIDS and health care personnel, parallel persuasive processes are described between social or political activism and personal self-advocacy. The analysis of public and private discourse leads to 3 interrelated conclusions about AIDS activist behaviors at the collective and individual levels: (a) greater patient education about the illness and treatment options is encouraged, (b) a more assertive stance toward health care is promoted, and (c) mindful nonadherence is considered. Activists perceived that their self-advocacy behaviors, in turn, impact the physicianpatient interaction. In communicative interactions, education allows patients to challengethe expertise of the physician, assertiveness allows them to confront paternalistic or authoritarian interactional styles, and mindful nonadherence allows them to reject treatment recommendations and offer reasons for doing so. Participants reported that physicians had mixed reactions to their self-advocacy attempts. Dale E. Brashers

How "Community" Matters for How People Interact With Information: Mixed Methods Study of Young Men Who Have Sex With Other Men

“…Indeed, gay communities led the formation of many organizations and publications that develop and disseminate information about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment [17-19]. Gay community settings are also frequently the focus of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts (eg, [20-22]).…”

Exploring lay uncertainty about an environmental health risk

“…Scholars from various fields approach uncertainty in a variety of ways-as an individual-level cognition, as an individual or organizational probability assessment, as a social, political, or cultural construction, or as combinations of these (Babrow et al, 1998;Brashers et al, 2000aBrashers et al, , 2000bBradac, 2001;Frewer et al, 2002Frewer et al, , 2003Friedman et al, 1999;Johnson, 2003aJohnson, , 2003bRowsell et al, 2000). Some scholars address uncertainty perceptions generally, while others address perceived uncertainties about risks specifically.…”

“…Probability judgments are types of "not knowing." Communication theories on uncertainty, such as uncertainty management theory (Brashers et al, 2000a(Brashers et al, , 2000b, uncertainty reduction theory (Berger, 1987) and problematic integration theory (Bradac, 2001), similarly, assume that probability assessments and "not knowing" are made up, in part, of perceived uncertainty. Brashers (2001), for example, says, "Uncertainty exists when details of situations are ambiguous, complex, unpredictable, or probabilistic … when people feel insecure in their own state of knowledge or the state of knowledge in general" (p. 478).…”

Establishing support groups for HIV-infected women: Using experiences to develop guiding principles for project implementation

“…Support groups in the HIV/AIDS context can be a valuable tool to help individuals adjust to the consequences of living with HIV in the absence of support from family and friends (Brashers, Haas, Klingle & Neidig, 2000). Groups can provide HIV-infected individuals with a non-stigmatising atmosphere in which to gain information, share experiences and learn from others.…”