AIDS Related Stigma

AIDS Related Stigma

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

(117-187) New York: Harper Collins. It should be noted, that according to the Social Work Code of Ethics, all socialworkers are obliged to serve all clients regardless their situation and have no right to refuse toserve a PLWA (CASW, 1990). There are two forms of support groups that can be very usefulin countering feelings of isolation: groups for PLWAs and those for the PLWA along withmembers of their social entourage. This is reinforced by the findings of Herek and Capitanio (1997) who determinedthat contact with PLWAs is the strongest variable in lowering AIDS related stigma. the modest attitudinal or knowledge improvements wrought by these efforts do notensure behavioural change . However, people"tms fear and avoidance of PLWAs isstill greatly effected depending on the mode of transmission (Borchert & Rickabaugh, 1995). In the past, no distinction was made regarding mode oftransmission. Conclusion With an understanding of the issue of AIDS related stigma, it is essential for the field of socialwork to address this issue. This focus that the media has put on marginalizedgroups incorrectly places emphasis on high risk groups rather than high risk activities.