Search results for ‘Publisher:"elsevier"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 2 of 2
Stigma, fatigue and social breakdown: exploring the impacts of HIV/AIDS on patient and carer well-being in the Caprivi Region, Namibia
- Author:
- THOMAS Felicity
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 63(12), December 2006, pp.3174-3187.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
It is generally assumed that caring is a substantial burden upon households afflicted by HIV/AIDS. However, as a ‘private’ household responsibility, little is known about the experiences of either those who provide the care, or those receiving care, despite the fact that the process may extend over several years and may have a greater impact upon the livelihood security and well-being of the household than the actual death of the ill person. Drawing upon data collected through solicited diaries, this paper explores how illness and the daily and long-term duties of caring amongst a sample of households in the Caprivi Region of Namibia impacts upon the physical and psychological well-being of ill people and their carers. While optimism and enhanced well-being were recorded during periods of illness remission, AIDS-related illnesses invariably result in periods of sickness and dependency. This results in disempowerment and lowered self-esteem, and decreased well-being amongst ill people. This paper argues that the increasing dependency of the ill person, widespread pressure to maintain household integrity through ‘seeing for yourself’, i.e. being self-sufficient, or at least contributing to reciprocal support networks, and the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS can result in considerable intra-household tension and breakdown of key social support networks.
The impact of stigma, experience, and group referent on HIV risk assessments and HIV testing intentions in Namibia
- Authors:
- SMITH Rachel A., MORRISON Daniel
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 63(10), November 2006, pp.2649-2660.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
People often perceive risks for others and themselves differently. This study examines whether personal beliefs about HIV and experience with those living with HIV influence personal risk assessments of contracting HIV in an interview sample of 400 northern Namibians, but not others’ assessments as explained by singular-distribution theory. Findings indicate that personal risk perceptions decrease with more HIV stigmatizing beliefs and increase with greater experience, but that those characteristics had no impact on assessments for others’ risk. The study also examines whether the size and characteristics of the referent group, peers and the general Namibian population, influence others’ risk assessments. Optimistic biases for personal risk versus others’ risk appear with the highest discrepancy emerging between personal and general population risk assessments. It was also found that personal risk perceptions did not mediate the relationship between personal characteristics, beliefs and experiences, and intentions to seek HIV testing.