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A possible role of stigma and fears in HIV infection
Author(s) -
Akande Adebowale Will
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.1590
Subject(s) - stigma (botany) , surprise , psychology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , pandemic , context (archaeology) , covid-19 , social psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , immunology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , geography , disease , archaeology , pathology
At the onset of AIDS in 1981, it caught everybody (by surprise), with their pants down, openly, scientifically and literally. Fear /Stigma associated with HIV/AIDS continues to avert responses to the epidemic. Data (obtained in Tshwane metropolis) were used to test stigma/fear dimensions of an instrument. Factor analysis identified five foci of fear and stigma. There were significant differences on the factor scale measuring fear of sex, with females and younger respondents having significantly greater fear. Results were interpreted within a cultural context that realises that decreasing AIDS stigma is a vital step in stemming the pandemic. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.