1
|
Tatham C. Life and love under criminalization: The experiences of people living with HIV in Canada. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0306894. [PMID: 39052618 PMCID: PMC11271884 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Based upon qualitative interviews with 54 women and men living with HIV across Ontario, Canada, this paper examines the impact of HIV criminalization on the sexual and romantic relationships of people living with HIV. This research highlights the navigation strategies people living with HIV create and employ to both navigate and protect themselves from the law. Through a thematic and intersectional analysis, this study shows how adoption of these strategies is unequal, with access to navigation strategies varying along lines of gender, race, and sexual orientation. As a result, women and racialized people living with HIV face more difficulties navigating the impact of the law. HIV criminalization in Canada fuels and validates HIV stigma and produces vulnerability both within and outside of the relationships of people living with HIV. This paper seeks to understand HIV criminalization from the perspective of those governed by the law, in hopes of producing knowledge which will contribute to legal reform, inform policy, and support the development of efficacious secondary prevention initiatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Tatham
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mullard J, Mir G, Herbert C, Evans S. 'You're just a Guinea pig': Exploring the barriers and impacts of living with long COVID-19: A view from the undiagnosed. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2024. [PMID: 38850204 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on ethnically minoritised and other marginalised communities, yet little is known about the impacts of long COVID-19 (LC) on this group. Living with LC takes its toll both physically, emotionally and financially and even more so when a diagnosis is hard to come by. By using qualitative interviews centring the view of undiagnosed and marginalised communities already classed as 'underserved' in the medical literature, we show the range of barriers and impacts faced by these groups in the UK, and the strategies of resilience they use. Whether trapped on a 'diagnostic odyssey' at the level of primary care, struggling to maintain employment and businesses, or managing family commitments, we argue many minoritised communities are caught in a liminal space of misrecognition, invalidation and ambiguity. We show how these impacts are generated by tensions and challenges in the process and categorisation of diagnosis, and how this effects the daily lives of many individuals already on the receiving end of health inequity. We also offer some examples and suggestions for best practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Mullard
- Newcastle University & Department of Sociology, Population Health Sciences Institute, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Ghazala Mir
- Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Chantal Herbert
- LOCOMOTION Study Participant and Contributor, Sister Shack CIC, Newcastle, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jeske M, James J, Joyce K. Diagnosis and the practices of patienthood: How diagnostic journeys shape illness experiences. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2024; 46:225-241. [PMID: 36707922 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Sociologists have a rich history of studying the process of diagnosis and how people experience illness. Yet, the sociology of diagnosis and illness experience literatures have seldom been fully integrated. Instead, these literatures highlight one element of the illness journey, wherein scholars either primarily study diagnostic processes and categories or people's illness experiences. Drawing on empirical studies that examine diagnosis and experiences of illness in varied settings (diagnosis during breast cancer surveillance, diagnosis and experience of autoimmune illness and incarcerated women's experiences of diagnoses and illness), in this article we build on our concept of regimes of patienthood to explain how diagnostic journeys, and the relations and power dynamics that manifest during this time, shape the illness experience and practices of patienthood. We construct a classification of diagnostic processes grounded in our empirical research that span (1) sudden diagnoses, (2) long, changing diagnostic journeys and (3) diagnostic journeys marked by disbelief and denial of care. Our findings demonstrate how diagnostic journeys and illness experiences are intertwined, with different diagnostic pathways impacting how illness is experienced. Analysing these categories collectively demonstrates that diagnostic journeys, while heterogenous, shape the practices that patients develop to manage health conditions and navigate unequal health-care encounters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Jeske
- Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jennifer James
- Institute on Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Kelly Joyce
- Department of Sociology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hammond N, Chantry A, Cheeseman M, Peng A. Disrupted biographies and gendered identities: A qualitative study exploring sexuality and blood cancer. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2024; 70:102544. [PMID: 38513454 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2024.102544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examines how blood cancer impacts patients' sexuality and sense of gendered identity. METHODS An interpretive epistemological framework necessitated a qualitative study design. Participants (6 male and 6 female), recruited from a hospital Haematology department in a large Northern English City, took part in semi-structured in-depth interviews to gather rich data about their subjective experiences. RESULTS A key theme from the qualitative data was a sense of disruption in relation to several aspects of their gendered identities and sexual life. Participants explained disruption to their sexual function and sexual sense of self. They narrated concerns about future imagined relationships. The emotional burden of sexuality related concerns was strongly articulated. A gendered perspective enabled the similarities and differences between men and women to be explored. CONCLUSION This study, drawing on rich qualitative data, documents the sexuality concerns of blood cancer patients; for some such concerns arise many years post treatment. The findings highlight the need for gender appropriate care around sexuality which should continue to be accessible well after diagnosis and treatment phases have ceased.
Collapse
|
5
|
Turpin RE, Mandell CJ, Camp AD, Mhonde RRD, Dyer TV, Mayer KH, Liu H, Coates T, Boekeloo B. COVID-19, Vaccine Hesitancy, and HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Black Sexual Minority Men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2023; 94:387-394. [PMID: 37732879 PMCID: PMC10841093 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000003305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has created substantial and profound barriers to several forms of health care engagement. For Black sexual minority men, this may include engagement with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection, with significant implications for HIV disparities. Our study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Black sexual minority men, with a focus on relationships between COVID-19 and PrEP engagement. SETTING We sampled 24 Black sexual minority men attending HIV prevention-related events in the greater D.C. Metropolitan area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia). METHODS We conducted qualitative phone interviews among our sample. Questions were primarily focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected engagement and considerations of PrEP use. Interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using the 6 stages of thematic analysis. RESULTS We identified 3 major themes from our thematic analysis: Changes in the health care system, changes in sexual and relationship contexts, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. Relationships between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and PrEP hesitancy were especially prevalent, with participants describing that COVID-19 hesitancy can directly deter PrEP use through eroding medical trust further. CONCLUSIONS We identified changes in the health care system, sexual and relationship contexts, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy as important issues driven by COVID-19 with significant implications for PrEP use. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the health care and social landscape in profound ways that affect PrEP access, sexual networks, and associated HIV vulnerability. Future research further exploring relationships between specific pandemic stressors and HIV prevention among Black sexual minority men is recommended .
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodman E. Turpin
- Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
| | - CJ Mandell
- Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
| | - Aaron D. Camp
- Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA
- INOVA Health System, Fairfax, VA
| | | | - Typhanye V. Dyer
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Kenneth H. Mayer
- The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MS
| | - Hongjie Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Thomas Coates
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Bradley Boekeloo
- Department of Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Campbell CK. The Ongoing Process of HIV-Stigma (Re)Production. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES : SP : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PACIFIC SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2023; 66:355-374. [PMID: 38516303 PMCID: PMC10956429 DOI: 10.1177/07311214221117294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
HIV stigma negatively affects the social experiences of people living with HIV (PLWH) and remains a challenge to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Research has overwhelmingly focused on individual cognitive measures of HIV stigma (e.g., internalized, anticipated, and experienced). However, little research explores the interactions and societal structures through which HIV stigma is produced. Data from qualitative interviews with 30 black gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the U.S. Deep South revealed an interconnected and interdependent set of processes that produce and reproduce HIV stigma. These included social interactions (silence, euphemism, and gossip), witnessed acts of marginalization, word-of-mouth transmission of HIV misinformation, and laws and policies carried out within the education and criminal justice systems. Efforts to reduce stigma that focus on individual beliefs and attitudes are critical to improving the well-being of PLWH. However, reducing HIV stigma requires intervening on the social interactions and structures through which HIV stigma is produced and reproduced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chadwick K. Campbell
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wells N, Murphy D, Ellard J, Philpot SP, Prestage G. HIV Diagnosis as Both Biographical Disruption and Biographical Reinforcement: Experiences of HIV Diagnoses Among Recently Diagnosed People Living With HIV. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH 2023; 33:165-175. [PMID: 36633974 DOI: 10.1177/10497323221146467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Despite the potential for HIV treatments to transform the health needs of people living with HIV, receiving a positive HIV diagnosis can be a difficult experience and feelings of shock, distress and concerns for the future are commonly reported. Drawing on Michael Bury's conceptualisation of 'biographical disruption', we utilised semi-structured interviews to explore experiences of HIV diagnoses among 34 people diagnosed with HIV between 2016 and 2020 and living in Australia. Interviews were conducted between January 2018 and August 2021. Despite significant advances in biomedical HIV treatments and prevention, participants commonly experienced HIV diagnosis as emotionally challenging. For those with limited HIV awareness, HIV was commonly understood as a likely fatal condition. For some participants, receiving a positive diagnosis also engendered a degree of uncertainty as to their anticipated life trajectory, particularly its impact on future sexual and romantic relationships, options for starting a family and migration opportunities. For some gay and bisexual male participants, receiving a positive diagnosis almost confirmed a life trajectory that they had worked to avoid and their own sometimes-negative attitudes toward people living with HIV were internalised, making adjusting to diagnosis more complex. While all participants reported challenges in adjusting to an HIV diagnosis, some ultimately came to experience living with HIV as bringing about unexpected and welcome changes to their lives. Our findings highlight the complex and intersecting medical, social and emotional needs of people living with HIV when receiving and adjusting to a positive HIV diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathanael Wells
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, 2786Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Dean Murphy
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, 2786Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jeanne Ellard
- 110434Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Steven P Philpot
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, 2786Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Garrett Prestage
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, 2786Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kokay W, Power E, McGrath M. Mixed Study Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Sexuality and Sexual Rehabilitation in LGBTQI+ Adults Living With Chronic Disease. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2023; 104:108-118. [PMID: 35973583 DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2022.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To systematically review how sexuality is experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex plus (other gender identifies and sexual orientations) (LGBTQI+) persons living with chronic disease. DATA SOURCES PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and Web of Science were searched from date of inception to November 2021 for English language publications. Reference lists of relevant publications were also searched. STUDY SELECTION Eligible studies reported on sexuality among LGBTQI+ persons living with chronic disease. The search yielded 12,626 records; 665 full texts were assessed for eligibility and 63 documents included (59 unique studies). Study quality was rated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. DATA EXTRACTION Characteristics of included studies were recorded independently by 2 authors. Differences were resolved through discussion or with a third author. DATA SYNTHESIS A sequential, exploratory mixed-studies approach was used for synthesis. Pooled analysis indicated that among gay and bisexual men living with prostate cancer, 68.3% experienced erectile dysfunction and 62.9% had insufficient quality of erection to engage in anal sex. Among gay and bisexual men living with HIV or AIDS, 29.3% experienced loss of libido and 25.3% experienced erectile dysfunction. Although sexual dysfunction was common, LGBTQI+ persons had difficulty accessing appropriate sexual counseling and identified negative attitudes and heteronormative assumptions by health care providers as significant barriers to sexual health. Interventions to address sexuality focused entirely on reduction of risky sexual behavior among men living with HIV or AIDS. Women, transgender persons, and intersex persons were largely excluded from the research studies. CONCLUSIONS Current understandings of the effect of chronic disease on LGBTQI+ sexuality are limited and mostly focus on the male sexual response. LGBTQI+ persons who experience difficulty with sexuality struggle to identify appropriate services, and there is an absence of evidence-based interventions to promote sexual health and well-being in this population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Kokay
- Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney.
| | - Emma Power
- Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney
| | - Margaret McGrath
- Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Campbell CK. Emotions and emotion work before, during and after HIV disclosure among Black gay and bisexual men living with HIV. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2021; 43:1739-1753. [PMID: 34519363 PMCID: PMC8688201 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In the United States, Black gay and bisexual men account for a quarter of HIV infections and face intersecting social and structural stigmas along the axes of race, sexuality and class. For those diagnosed with HIV, these inequities shape their lived experiences which include HIV disclosure. Public health has privileged HIV status disclosure as the appropriate moral and responsible choice to protect sex partners, reduce stigma and obtain social support. Though little is known about the emotional aspects of HIV disclosure for Black gay and bisexual men, or how they are shaped by social and structural contexts. Using the frameworks of healthism and emotion work, I explore HIV disclosure among a sample of 30 Black gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the Deep South. Drawing on in-depth, qualitative interviews, I identify the emotion work that men engaged in to manage their own emotions and protect the emotions of others before, during and after disclosure or nondisclosure. These findings challenge public health research that has explored disclosure as discrete measurable events by illustrating how HIV disclosure is embedded in ongoing social and structural relations and provide insights that can guide new approaches focused on structural inequities that constitute HIV disclosure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chadwick K Campbell
- Center for AIDS Prevention Research, University of California San Francisco, Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|