Stigmatization and Discrimination of People Living With Hiv/Aids and Its Implications for Prevention And Spread:

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the level and pattern of stigmatization and discrimination against PLWHAs and its implications for spread and prevention in the Nsawam/Adoagyiri municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana. Data were gathered quantitatively with some qualitative supplementary data. The quantitative data were gathered through administration of questionnaires to 70 persons living with HIV/AIDS, with the qualitative data been gathered through in-depth interviews with one health worker and two NGOs operating in the municipality. Focus group discussion was also conducted with 20 community members to supplement the quantitative data. Two focus group discussions were conducted and each group was made up of 10 participants. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences software was used for the quantitative data analysis. Data from the in-depth interviews and focus group discussion were tape recorded, transcribed under themes and used as supplementary information for the quantitative data. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used in the selection of the total number of respondents to be interviewed. Both primary data and secondary information were used. Majority of respondents’ educational level was relatively low as most of them had either primary education, Junior High or middle school education or secondary education with a very small percentage of them who had post-secondary education. Most of them were traders, farmers, doing other jobs or unemployed. The main mode of HIV/AIDS contraction was through sexual intercourse. Respondents who had experienced stigmatization and discrimination as a result of their status were less than those who had never experienced it. However, the proportion of females who had ever experienced stigma and discrimination was higher than that of the males. Stigmatization and discrimination mostly took the form of verbal assault, social stigma and job loss. Those who had ever experienced stigma and discrimination believed they were been stigmatized as result of the mentality people have about the disease that it is infectious and deadly. Stigmatization and discrimination had affected respondents’ lives in numerous ways. Respondents were shocked, sad or doubtful upon hearing their status for the first time. More males reported being shocked than the females whereas more females expressed sadness than males. Respondents who were co-habiting or single but with sexual partners had not gathered the courage to inform their partners about their status but a sizeable number of the respondents who were married had disclosed to their partners. As a coping mechanism, respondents who had disclosed their status to people decided not to do further disclosure due to their experience of stigma upon their first disclosure. Others had decided not to disclose their status at all to prevent any form of stigma. In the assessment of community perceptions on the treatment meted out to PLWHAs, some were of the view that PLWHAs must be treated well because it may be that someone can be infected without any fault of his or hers. The study calls for intensive education on the adverse effects of stigmatizing and discriminating against People Living with HIV/AIDS at all levels of society and intensification of voluntary counseling and testing.