Deconstructing Stigma

Abstract

This study addressed the perceptions of stigma and disclosure behavior of HIV-seropositive mothers. Eighty-eight HIV-seropositive women in New York City completed two independent measures of stigma, the Perceived Stigma Scale and the Devaluation-Discrimination Measure. Disclosers (67%) and nondisclosers (33%) were similar in most sociodemographic characteristics-marital status, race, religion and employment, with the exception of age and education. Significant differences were found between disclosure groups in the use of secrecy as a stigmamanagement tool and in perceived devaluation-discrimination associated with an HIV diagnosis. Nondisclosers to children were significantly more likely than disclosers to use secrecy as a stigma management tool (t =-2.76; p =.01), and to feel devalued and discriminated against as a result of HIV serostatus (t = 3.11; p =.01). Disclosure of parental HIV serostatus to children is an important aspect of continuous care and custody planning. Secrecy and perceptions of devaluation and discrimination related to HIV diagnosis should be seen as barriers to disclosure of serostatus to children.

Disclosure of Parental HIV Infection to Children: A Systematic Review of Global Literature

“…In addition, half of the existing quantitative studies had no more than 100 respondents. Measurement of disclosure practice in some studies was very general without specifics regarding the scope or approach of disclosure, such as partial disclosure/ full disclosure, forced disclosure/planned disclosure [4, 15, 17, 19, 24, 31, 35–37, 40, 61]. The lack of data on these different features of disclosure might make it hard to differentiate the effects of various types of disclosure.…”

“…The lack of standard measurement also made it difficult to compare results across studies. For instance, some studies reported parental disclosure rate [4, 15,19, 21, 30, 35–37, 40, 41, 59–61, 66], while some studies reported children’s awareness rate [3, 17, 18, 20, 24, 28, 29, 31–34, 42]. In addition, future studies should collect data from both parents and children given the potentially unique perspectives from parents and children on disclosure issues.…”

Disclosure of Maternal HIV-Infection in South Africa: Description and Relationship to Child Functioning

“…U.S.-based research provides support for the relevance of education (Letteney and LaPorte 2004), income (Armistead et al 2001), and maternal physical health (Armistead et al 2001;Lee and Rotheram-Borus 2002;Schrimshaw and Siegel 2002). In a sample of predominantly African American and Latina women, mothers who were less educated were more likely to disclose than more educated mothers (Letteney and LaPorte 2004).…”

“…U.S.-based research provides support for the relevance of education (Letteney and LaPorte 2004), income (Armistead et al 2001), and maternal physical health (Armistead et al 2001;Lee and Rotheram-Borus 2002;Schrimshaw and Siegel 2002). In a sample of predominantly African American and Latina women, mothers who were less educated were more likely to disclose than more educated mothers (Letteney and LaPorte 2004). In addition, African American mothers with lower incomes were more likely to disclose than those with higher incomes, perhaps due to more limited childcare options resulting in the need for children to attend doctor appointments or otherwise be present when mothers are quite ill (Armistead et al 2001).…”

Family-Based Processes Associated with Adolescent Distress, Substance Use and Risky Sexual Behavior in Families Affected by Maternal HIV

“…Parent–adolescent conflict broadly impacts adolescent health behaviors (Black, Ricardo, & Stanton, 1997; Dashiff, Hardeman, & McLain, 2008; Shek, 1998; Stauffer, Emerson, & Donenberg, 2006). The stresses related to stigma, compromised health, and financial burden of parental HIV could all exacerbate conflict within family relationships (Alonzo & Reynolds, 1995; Andrews, Williams, & Neil, 1993; Brown, Lourie, & Pao, 2000; Letteney & LaPorte, 2004; Reyland, Higgins-D’Alessandro, & McMahon, 2002; Rotheram-Borus, Robin, Reid, & Draimin, 1998). One might specifically hypothesize that those adolescents with adaptive coping skills, such as effective conflict resolution styles, will better manage stressful situations, such as family conflict, and therefore be less likely to engage in problem behaviors.…”