Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study
Abstract
As a social determinant of health, stigma is a major barrier to health care access, illness management and completing the treatment. It is attributed both to HIV as a health condition and to the populations at risk of being infected with it. In Serbia, HIV is associated with men who have sex with men (MSM), with a noticeable stigma towards them. Drawing upon a qualitative cross-sectional study, conducted in three Serbian cities, we explore the MSM's perception of HIV in the context of that social stigma. Using a respondent-driven sampling approach, 62 targeted MSM respondents participated in focus groups discussions and in-depth interviews. We found that the participants' understandings of the HIV infection, risks and prevention are shaped by stigma. Those MSM who resisted stigma relativised the HIV risk, associating it with the general population and HIV-positive MSMs, believing that HIV, perceived as a chronical illness, was unjustly related to MSM. As one of the main preventive meas...ures, serosorting was based on alleged HIV-positive statuses of potential sexual partners. HIV-negative participants described perceiving HIV-positive MSM as the ones responsible for spreading the virus, since they were concealing their positive status. As a response to stigma, MSM tended to challenge the HIV discourse, shifting it away from MSM onto the general (male) population and HIV positive MSM. Our analysis suggests that stigma resistance may make MSM more susceptible to taking risks. HIV prevention programmes should take the social context of MSM into account and target MSM-related stigma.
Keywords:
stigma / risk / men who have sex with men / in-depth interviews / HIV / focus groupsSource:
Health Risk & Society, 2018, 20, 7-8, 342-357Publisher:
- Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon
Funding / projects:
- Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through HIV project of Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia [SER-809-G04-H]
DOI: 10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991
ISSN: 1369-8575
WoS: 000454069000003
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85058156784
Collections
Institution/Community
Etnologija i antropologija / Ethnology and AnthropologyTY - JOUR AU - Baroš, Slađana AU - Šipetić-Grujičić, Sandra AU - Žikić, Bojan AU - Petrovic-Atay, Jelena PY - 2018 UR - http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2609 AB - As a social determinant of health, stigma is a major barrier to health care access, illness management and completing the treatment. It is attributed both to HIV as a health condition and to the populations at risk of being infected with it. In Serbia, HIV is associated with men who have sex with men (MSM), with a noticeable stigma towards them. Drawing upon a qualitative cross-sectional study, conducted in three Serbian cities, we explore the MSM's perception of HIV in the context of that social stigma. Using a respondent-driven sampling approach, 62 targeted MSM respondents participated in focus groups discussions and in-depth interviews. We found that the participants' understandings of the HIV infection, risks and prevention are shaped by stigma. Those MSM who resisted stigma relativised the HIV risk, associating it with the general population and HIV-positive MSMs, believing that HIV, perceived as a chronical illness, was unjustly related to MSM. As one of the main preventive measures, serosorting was based on alleged HIV-positive statuses of potential sexual partners. HIV-negative participants described perceiving HIV-positive MSM as the ones responsible for spreading the virus, since they were concealing their positive status. As a response to stigma, MSM tended to challenge the HIV discourse, shifting it away from MSM onto the general (male) population and HIV positive MSM. Our analysis suggests that stigma resistance may make MSM more susceptible to taking risks. HIV prevention programmes should take the social context of MSM into account and target MSM-related stigma. PB - Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon T2 - Health Risk & Society T1 - Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study EP - 357 IS - 7-8 SP - 342 VL - 20 DO - 10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991 ER -
@article{ author = "Baroš, Slađana and Šipetić-Grujičić, Sandra and Žikić, Bojan and Petrovic-Atay, Jelena", year = "2018", abstract = "As a social determinant of health, stigma is a major barrier to health care access, illness management and completing the treatment. It is attributed both to HIV as a health condition and to the populations at risk of being infected with it. In Serbia, HIV is associated with men who have sex with men (MSM), with a noticeable stigma towards them. Drawing upon a qualitative cross-sectional study, conducted in three Serbian cities, we explore the MSM's perception of HIV in the context of that social stigma. Using a respondent-driven sampling approach, 62 targeted MSM respondents participated in focus groups discussions and in-depth interviews. We found that the participants' understandings of the HIV infection, risks and prevention are shaped by stigma. Those MSM who resisted stigma relativised the HIV risk, associating it with the general population and HIV-positive MSMs, believing that HIV, perceived as a chronical illness, was unjustly related to MSM. As one of the main preventive measures, serosorting was based on alleged HIV-positive statuses of potential sexual partners. HIV-negative participants described perceiving HIV-positive MSM as the ones responsible for spreading the virus, since they were concealing their positive status. As a response to stigma, MSM tended to challenge the HIV discourse, shifting it away from MSM onto the general (male) population and HIV positive MSM. Our analysis suggests that stigma resistance may make MSM more susceptible to taking risks. HIV prevention programmes should take the social context of MSM into account and target MSM-related stigma.", publisher = "Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon", journal = "Health Risk & Society", title = "Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study", pages = "357-342", number = "7-8", volume = "20", doi = "10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991" }
Baroš, S., Šipetić-Grujičić, S., Žikić, B.,& Petrovic-Atay, J.. (2018). Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study. in Health Risk & Society Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon., 20(7-8), 342-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991
Baroš S, Šipetić-Grujičić S, Žikić B, Petrovic-Atay J. Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study. in Health Risk & Society. 2018;20(7-8):342-357. doi:10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991 .
Baroš, Slađana, Šipetić-Grujičić, Sandra, Žikić, Bojan, Petrovic-Atay, Jelena, "Stigma matters: HIV and HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in Serbia; a qualitative study" in Health Risk & Society, 20, no. 7-8 (2018):342-357, https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2018.1551991 . .