AIDS Related Stigma Since the appearance of AIDS

Aids 2

AIDS Related Stigma Since the appearance of AIDS in the late seventies and early eighties, the disease has had attached to it a significant social stigma. This stigma has manifested itself in the form of discrimination, avoidance and fear of people living with AIDS (PLWAs). As a result, the social implications of the disease have been extended from those of other life threatening conditions to the point at which PLWAs are not only faced with a terminal illness but also social isolation and constant discrimination throughout society. Various explanations have been suggested as to the underlying causes of this stigmatization. Many studies point to the relationship the disease has with deviant behavior. Others suggest that fear of contagion is the actual culprit. Examining the existing literature and putting it into societal context leads one to believe that there is no one cause. Instead, there would appear to be a collection of associated factors that influence society’s attitudes towards AIDS and PLWAs. As the number of people infected with HIV increases, social workers are and will be increasingly called upon to deal with and serve PLWAs. Although not all social workers chose to work with PLWAs, the

in 1990 after the highly publicized case of Ryan White. Even today, AIDS is often referred to as "the gay plague" (Giblin, 1995). As people are becoming more aware of how the virus is transmitted, they seem to be become less fearful of PLWAs. The situation is quite similar in regard to IV drug use, prostitution, and other activities commonly associated with AIDS. Many PLWAs also experience extreme social isolation due to their illness; because of the negative reactions of friends and family members, the seropositive person is often rejected by many members of their social entourage (Giblin, 1995; Bishop, et al. It was only after the highly publicized case of Ryan White that we saw the shift in attitudes and the formation of the innocent/deserving distinction (Giblin, 1995). On the other hand, homosexuals, IV drug users, the sexually promiscuous, and other "�deviants"tm are seen as deserving of the condition they are in when they contract AIDS. In fact, Bishop, Alva, Cantu, and Rittiman (1991) argue that this is a greater cause of stignatization than the association to deviant behaviour. As a result, a strong association has also been made between AIDS and people of color (Quam, 1990). This mentality leads to feelings of fear and hostility towards and a great lack of compassion for those who are incorrectly and irrationally deemed as being deserving of the disease. This is of particular pertinence to the field of social work due to our growing involvement with the HIV positive population. Some religious groups see AIDS as a punishment from God for sinful behaviour. In recent years, the media has started to make more accurate distinctions between homosexuality and AIDS, but messages are still mixed and often ambiguous. The Canadian Association of Social Workers (1990) reports that, "often the media has not distinguished between "�gay"tm and "�AIDS"tm, so that public understanding of homosexuality and AIDS has become enmeshed" (p.