Strategies of people with HIV to confront the stigma associated with HIV/aids. Patients of the general hospital of Huixtla, Chiapas

Abstract

This article presents results from a study conducted with HIV patients from the General Hospital of Huixtla, Chiapas. Taking conceptual elements from structuration theory, the investigation explores strategies used by people with HIV infection in order to tackle consequences of stigma associated with HIV/aids. For the analysis, we consider three different groups whose experiences and ways to deal with stigmatization associated to HIV/aids differ from each other: women, homosexual men and heterosexual men. The results show that an important strategy used by people with HIV is that, while keeping the diagnosis hidden, they reconstruct within their community the representation of HIV/aids without stigma by means of information about HIV.

Keywords

• persona con VIH
• estigma asociado al VIH/sida
• orientación sexual
• agencia
• estructura social
• familia