'A virus and nothing else': the effect of ART on HIV-related stigma in rural South Africa

AIDS Behav. 2012 Apr;16(3):564-70. doi: 10.1007/s10461-011-0089-6.

Abstract

While the World Health Organization acknowledges the potential of antiretroviral therapy to reduce HIV-related stigma, few studies examine the nature of this linkage. This article discusses the connection between ART and HIV-related stigma, using qualitative analysis of interviews with HIV-positive adults at a rural South African clinic. The data has two main implications for ART's role in stigma reduction: it strengthens the plausibility that ART can reduce stigma through weakening HIV/AIDS's link with disfigurement and death, and shows that ART enables the establishment of spaces for support, which reduce stigma through normalization of the disease.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Qualitative Research*
  • Rural Population*
  • South Africa
  • Stereotyping*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents