Men’s and Women’s Experiences With HIV and Stigma in Swaziland

Abstract

To explore how gender differentially affects the stigma experiences of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Swaziland, the extent and dimensions of HIV-related felt and enacted stigma and social support were analyzed. Thirty-seven semistructured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with PLHIV in Swaziland between 2004 and 2006. Through the process of conceptual analysis, themes, including felt stigma, information management, enacted stigma, and social support, were explored, coded, and analyzed in the contexts of partner and familial relationships, and workplace and neighborhood settings. Findings revealed that there were high levels of felt stigma in all contexts, yet fewer than anticipated accounts of enacted stigma in family, work, and neighborhood contexts compared to their expressions of felt stigma. The amount and characteristics of felt and enacted stigma and social support differed based on gender, as women often experienced more felt and enacted stigma than men, and had less definite financial or emotional support.

Psychological well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS under the new epidemic characteristics in China and the risk factors: a population-based study

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What role can gender-transformative programming for men play in increasing men’s HIV testing and engagement in HIV care and treatment in South Africa?

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Identifying Strategies to Cope with HIV-Related Stigma in a Group of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic: A Qualitative Study

“…This project aims to document the stigma coping strategies used by women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) in the Dominican Republic. Women are the focus of this work, since gender differentially affects HIV-positive individuals’ experiences with stigma (16). Gender-based socioeconomic inequalities amplify and worsen the negative impact of HIV-related stigma on women (17).…”