Abstract
Limited research has focused on the mental health of HIV-infected women in resource poor settings such as rural India. This study attempts to fill this gap in the literature, through conducting standardized interviews with 20 HIV-infected women in rural, Southern India. Variables of interest included trauma exposure, mental health symptoms, shame, guilt, social support, negative social reactions, coping, and HIV knowledge. Results indicate most women experienced HIV-related stigma in the form of negative social reactions, and limited social support. Many reported a history of interpersonal violence, and moderate to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression. Feelings of shame, guilt, and self-blame were significantly correlated with mental health symptoms. Seeking comfort in religion, such as engaging in meditation or prayer, was a preferred strategy for coping with HIV-infection. Despite the small sample size, this exploratory study provides important information about the challenges facing women living with HIV in settings where HIV is highly stigmatized. Future research should examine predictors of mental health outcomes in a larger sample, and evaluate the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce negative social reactions, shame, and self-blame, and increase social support. Key words: HIV stigma, social support, mental health, shame, India.
Highlights
More than two and half million people in India are estimated to be living with HIV and AIDS; of these, 39% are women (World Bank, 2012)
HIV-related stigma and negative social reactions are common among women living with HIV (Brown et al, 2003; Hollen, 2010; Vlassoff et al, 2012)
Coping strategies include various efforts to mitigate distress, such as spiritual and religious activities. They are all receiving services from a local organization specializing in support for HIV-infected women, HIV knowledge was lacking in some areas
Summary
More than two and half million people in India are estimated to be living with HIV and AIDS; of these, 39% are women (World Bank, 2012). Intimate partner abuse has been linked to low quality of life among women living with HIV (McDonnell et al, 2005), and has been associated with negative mental health outcomes, including post-traumatic stress, depressive symptoms (Campbell et al, 2008), and substance abuse (McDonnell et al, 2005). We investigated - HIV-related stigma in the form of negative social reactions and social support; interpersonal violence; mental health symptoms including depression and PTSD; shame, guilt, and HIV knowledge
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