AEGiS-14IAC: Diagnosis on sexuality and discrimination suffer by people living with HIV/AIDS in five cities of Chile.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Diagnosis on sexuality and discrimination suffer by people living with HIV/AIDS in five cities of Chile.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. D11139)

Velis FJ, Donoso C, Pascal R, Zorrilla S
VIVO POSITIVO - Universidad de Santiago, Santiago, Chile

BACKGROUND: World AIDS Foundation and Merck pharmaceutical company supported this research. It was aimed to identify the main discrimination lands, which affected PLWA's in Chile, it includes also an analysis of how PLWA's live their sexuality as seropositive people.

METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used. We conducted seven focus groups (group interviews) as well as ten deep interviews. The sample was formed by women and men living with HIV/AIDS from Santiago, Rancagua, Iquique, Valdivia and Punta Arenas.

RESULTS: There are considerable degrees of discrimination in access to treatment, health care, discrimination in the labor market and within families. In Santiago there is less discrimination from healthcare providers than another cities, since that in the last ones was observed less confidentiality and higher degrees of homophobia. On another hand, PLWA's show difficult in their sexuality after they know their positive serological status. It is important to highlight gender differences related to how PLWA's start their sexual activity again. Women have more difficulties than men in re-start their sexual activity because they cannot incorporate the use of condom in their relations. Their obstacles are not only male chauvinistic beliefs but also they are afraid to transmit the HIV, since they do not trust condoms. Also they stated a strong relation between sexuality, emotions and scare of be rejected because of HIV.

CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to perform empowerment workshops to promote PLWA's citizen rights on healthcare, education and work lands. Promotion of safe pleasant sex is needed, specially taking into account the gender perspective, since the results of this research show that sexual and emotional conflicts are different for men and women. Also, it is important to consider differences between urban and rural population in this kind of interventions.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Sex Behavior, Sexuality, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Condoms, Stress, Psychological, Culture, Prejudice, CD4 Lymphocyte Count, Interviews, Cities, Chile, Focus Groups, Human, Female, Male, diagnosisKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,sexbehavior,sexuality,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,condoms,stress,psychological,culture,prejudice,cd4lymphocytecount,interviews,cities,chile,focusgroups,human,female,male,diagnosis

020707
D11139

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.