Terms Used for People Living with HIV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Citation

Mupenda, Bavon; Duvall, Sandra; Maman, Suzanne; Pettifor, Audrey E.; Holub, Christina; Taylor, Eboni; Rennie, Stuart; Kashosi, Mujalambo; Lema, Mamie; & Behets, Frieda M.-T. F. (2014). Terms Used for People Living with HIV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Qualitative Health Research, 24(2), 209-216. PMCID: PMC4326230

Abstract

For this study we conducted in-depth interviews with 29 youth living with HIV (YLWH) and key informant interviews with 8 HIV care/support providers. We describe terms used to portray people living with HIV (PLWH) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Labels commonly used, mostly derogatory, described PLWH as walking corpses, dangers to others, or people deserving to die before others get infected. Blame and other accusations were directed at PLWH through anchoring or objectification. Being labeled sometimes made these youth suffer in silence, afraid to disclose their status, or avoid performing actions in public, preferring to let others do them. YLWH need psychosocial support to mitigate the harmful effects of these labels and strengthen their coping skills, whereas community, institutional, and national efforts are needed for stigma reduction.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732313519869

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2014

Journal Title

Qualitative Health Research

Author(s)

Mupenda, Bavon
Duvall, Sandra
Maman, Suzanne
Pettifor, Audrey E.
Holub, Christina
Taylor, Eboni
Rennie, Stuart
Kashosi, Mujalambo
Lema, Mamie
Behets, Frieda M.-T. F.

PMCID

PMC4326230

ORCiD

Pettifor - 0000-0002-3387-0817