Bowen, P; Govender, R; Edwards, P and Cattell, K (2016) Internalised stigma, discrimination, depression, social support and disclosure experiences of HIV+ workers in the South African construction industry. In: Chan, P W and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 32nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2016, Manchester, UK.
Abstract
HIV/AIDS-related stigmas relate to HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. They can become internalised by HIV+ persons, leading them to: avoid treatment or care; engage in unsafe sex practices; feel emotional distress, isolation and self-loathing; and diminished social support. The discrimination experiences and internalised stigmas for 34 HIV+ construction workers in the Western Cape, South Africa are investigated using a self-administered questionnaire, and the response data subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Of particular concern are many lifestyle-related risk factors, specifically the lack of condom use, numbers of sex partners, and failure to take anti-retroviral medication. The HIV+ workers are found to have lower AIDS-related knowledge than non-infected co-workers. Many workers experience internalised stigma: feeling dirty; ashamed; guilty; and at times worthless. These internalised stigmas are significantly associated with level of education. Greater effort is needed to eradicate or at least reduce AIDS-related stigmas, particularly in focusing on reducing fear of HIV/AIDS and recasting it as a chronic but manageable disease.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction workers; HIV/AIDS; internalised stigma; discrimination; South Africa. |
| Index terms: | HIV/AIDS, risk factor, questionnaire, construction industry, discrimination, prevention, construction worker, South Africa, distress, depression, condom, statistical analysis, lifestyle |
| Subjects: | data science, data collection methods, practitioner, health behaviours and lifestyles, demography, health conditions and diseases, industry analysis, professional ethics, environmental hazards, structural engineering, Geography, financial risk |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Cost Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Urban Studies, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here