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GENDER-BASED ATTITUDES, HIV MISCONCEPTIONS AND FEELINGS TOWARDS MARGINALIZED GROUPS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH STIGMATIZATION IN MUMBAI, INDIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2014

SHALINI BHARAT ,
JAYASHREE RAMAKRISHNA ,
ELSA HEYLEN  and
MARIA L. EKSTRAND
SHALINI BHARAT*
Affiliation:
Centre for Health and Social Science, School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
JAYASHREE RAMAKRISHNA
Affiliation:
Department of Health Education, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
ELSA HEYLEN
Affiliation:
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
MARIA L. EKSTRAND
Affiliation:
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA St John's Research Institute, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India
*
1Corresponding author. Email: sbharat@tiss.edu
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Summary

This study examined the association of gender-based attitudes, HIV misconceptions and community feelings for marginalized groups with stigmatizing responses towards people with HIV/AIDS in Mumbai, India. Participants included 546 men and women sampled in hospital settings during 2007–2008. Structured measures were used to assess avoidance intentions and denial of rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Mean age of participants was 32 years; 42% had less than 10 years of education. Higher HIV transmission misconceptions (β=0.47; p<0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β=0.11; p<0.01) and more negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β=0.23; p<0.001) were related to higher avoidance intentions. Endorsement of denial of rights was also significantly associated with higher transmission misconceptions (β=0.20; p<0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β=0.33; p<0.001) and greater negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β=0.12; p<0.05), as well as with a lower education level (β=−0.10; p<0.05). The feelings respondents had towards people with HIV/AIDS were more strongly correlated with their feelings towards those with other diseases (tuberculosis, leprosy) than with feelings they had towards those associated with ‘immoral’ behaviour (e.g. sex workers). Eliminating HIV transmission misconceptions and addressing traditional gender attitudes are critical for reducing HIV stigma in Indian society.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 46 , Issue 6 , November 2014 , pp. 717 - 732
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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