Engaging with people living with HIV: challenges experienced by Malaysian counsellors

Abdullah, Tuan Norbalkish Tuan; Min, Ruhani Mat

doi:10.1080/09540121.2020.1757024

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The role of mental health providers is equally important to reinforce and normalize the phenomena to support better reach and understanding of HIV and its prevention measures. Mental health practitioners were found to have limited knowledge and training on HIV [7] which perpetuates the stigma and optimization of support to the community. At pres-ent, healthcare professionals are inadequately trained to support individuals who are considering PrEP [8,9] which limits the support and counseling process for willing individuals.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

PrEP Implementation for Key Populations in Malaysia

2024

austinjhivaidsres

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Malaysia being a multi-ethnic nation and predominantly Muslim, faces a complex HIV/AIDS situation with a particular emphasis on key populations due to stigma on both the disease and social-cultural factors [1]. To mitigate the further spread of HIV, PrEP has emerged as a promising preventive measure worldwide. However, it poses various challenges on usage and implementation in this country. Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) individuals face significant barriers to accessing healthcare services including PrEP [2]. On the other hand, MSM and transgender individuals' knowledge and awareness of PrEP were found to be limited [2-4]. All of this painted the ongoing challenges of managing and reducing the elevated risk of HIV transmission among the key populations.

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Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

PrEP Implementation for Key Populations in Malaysia

2024

austinjhivaidsres

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“…This is related to their perceptions of themselves: MSM living with HIV and experiencing stigma might perceive themselves as failures [ 1 , 4 , 5 ], a perception that is related to their inability to fulfil their basic needs [ 4 ]. In addition, MSM living with HIV may experience unsatisfying relationships [ 4 ], as counsellors have reported limited relationship knowledge and related skills among PLHIV [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Counselling experiences among men having sex with men and living with HIV in Malaysia

et al. 2022

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Purpose In Malaysia, the trend of HIV transmission has shifted from intravenous drug use to sexual intercourse, and men who have sex with men (MSM) have become the main driver due to high-risk sexual behaviour. Thus, treatment and care, which also involves counselling, for men who have sex with men and who are living with HIV (MSM living with HIV) are crucial. This study aims to explore the experiences of MSM living with HIV and participating in counselling session during treatment and care at two public hospitals. Method This qualitative study with a grounded-theory approach was conducted at two public hospitals in Malaysia. Five participants who were MSM living with HIV were selected through purposive sampling. They participated in semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and diary entries, each of which was conducted three times. The data were analysed using grounded theory with N-Vivo 8 to determine themes. Result The participants were found to experience feelings of emptiness and hopelessness because of their unreadiness to accept their HIV status. These feelings made their participation in counselling sessions challenging. Consequently, the participants found counselling sessions unhelpful due to their unwillingness to participate in the counselling relationship. Conclusion The findings of the study highlight the need for counselling sessions to focus more on feelings related to unreadiness to improve the self-esteem and ability to create positive relationships with others of MSM living with HIV. It is also important to strengthen the training and skills among HIV counsellors to enhance counselling services for these men.

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HIV Stigma, Sexual Identity Stigma and Online Coping Strategy of Gay, Bisexual and Queer People Living with HIV: A Moderated Mediation Study

Ahmad,

Mohamad Nor,

Abd Hamid

2024

CHR

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Introduction:: Living with HIV/AIDS is more difficult for gay, bisexual, and queer (G- BQ) people as they face stigma on both the disease and sexuality, which puts significant stress on coping with stressors, and online platforms have become an alternative coping channel. Method:: This study investigated the use of online coping strategies in moderating the HIV stigma mediated by sexual identity stigma on mental health in Malaysia. 123 GBQ people living with HIV between the ages of 20 and 39 participated in the study, responding to the HIV Stigma – Short Form Scale, adapted China MSM Stigma Scale, Online Coping Inventory, and DASS-21. Result:: Results were analyzed using OLS, and logistic regression path modeling showed a statisti- cally significant indirect effect of sexual identity stigma mediating HIV stigma on depressive (ab = 0.1362), anxiety (ab = 0.1259), and stress (ab = 0.1636) levels. Problem-focused online coping strategy was found to moderate the indirect association between HIV stigma and depression levels via sexual identity stigma at low (β = 0.2110, SE = 0.0741, p<.05) and moderate levels (β = 0.1168, SE = 0.0465, p<.05). The findings demonstrated the compounding link between HIV and sexual identity stigmas on mental health and how online coping strategies can be used as a helpful coping resource to manage depressive symptoms for this community and mental health practition- ers. Conclusion:: These findings can be beneficial to generate a better understanding of how double stigmas play a role in mental health and the types of online coping strategies adopted to process the stressors for GBQ individuals living with HIV in Malaysia.

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Engaging with people living with HIV: challenges experienced by Malaysian counsellors

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

PrEP Implementation for Key Populations in Malaysia

PrEP Implementation for Key Populations in Malaysia

Counselling experiences among men having sex with men and living with HIV in Malaysia

HIV Stigma, Sexual Identity Stigma and Online Coping Strategy of Gay, Bisexual and Queer People Living with HIV: A Moderated Mediation Study

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