Stigma and Parental HIV

Abstract

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is experienced as a highly stigmatized disease by those with HIV and their families. Moreover, it has been argued that it is the stigmatized nature of HIV that separates it from other chronic illnesses (Bor and Elford, 1998; Geballe and Gruendel, 1995). Drawing from a recently completed qualitative study conducted in Scotland, this article examines the impact of HIV stigma on children and young people with a parent or carer with HIV. The starting point for the research (and for this article) is the perspective of the children and young people themselves. The article gives an account of their understanding of stigma, and explores the different methods that they have adopted to cope with the effects of living with such a stigmatized illness in the family. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this study for social work policy and practice with children and young people affected by parental HIV.

Listening to children and young people affected by parental HIV: Findings from a Scottish study

“…Nevertheless, the lives they described were selfevidently outside what is 'normal' experience for most children, largely because of the stigma attached to HIV (Cree et al, 2004). From the accounts provided, a picture emerges of several stages in parental illness, some of which recur: 'not really ill' (i.e., few chronic symptoms), chronic conditions, diagnostic operations, episodes of acute infection and illness, steady and substantial deterioration and death.…”

“I knew I had something bad because no-one spoke about it” – disclosure discovery: Experiences of young people with perinatally acquired HIV in the UK

“…Previous studies investigated young peoples' experiences of living with HIV, mediated through parents or carers (Cree, Kay, Tisdall, & Wallace, 2004). This study focuses on young peoples' experiences of growing up with HIV and provides crucial insights into how they access and manage information about their condition.…”

“Like being in a cage”: stigma as experienced by adolescents whose mothers are living with HIV

“…Although potentially important for the family's safety, being asked to keep the secret can reinforce the child's shame and conveys that the stigma is deserved. In fact, children may feel stigma as acutely as their HIV+ parents, because children cannot distance themselves from the stigmatized person as easily as a friend or extended family member might (Cree, Kay, Tisdall, & Wallace, 2004;Goffman, 1963). *Corresponding author.…”