Dehumanizing language, motherhood in the context of HIV, and overcoming HIV stigma - the voices of Rwandan women with HIV: A focus group study.
Donatilla Mukamana, Darius Gishoma, Lauren Holt and 7 others
PMID 36088732WHAT IT FOUND
Rwandan women with HIV described being called pigs, maggots, or living dead, and avoiding nearby clinics to hide their status.
They described telling children and support groups as ways they accepted their status and remembered medication.
Key findings
01Women reported being called pigs, maggots, and living dead.
02Women said fear of stigma kept them from retrieving medications or made them travel far to clinics.
03Women described telling children as a way to accept their status, gain support, and remember medication, and support groups as safe places for overcoming stigma.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited by convenience, so women with very high stigma who had not sought care may be missing. Recruitment occurred in only two geographic regions of Rwanda, so the findings may not apply to all areas or all Rwandan women with HIV. The study asked women to speak in focus groups, and some may not have shared personal experiences. The findings are self-reported experiences and themes, not measured effects of any intervention.
Declared interests
The authors declared no real or perceived vested interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read disclosure to children or support groups as proven treatments for stigma or adherence. These were women's reported experiences in a qualitative focus group study, not tested interventions.