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'Dying twice': a multi-level model of the roots of AIDS stigma in two South African communities.

Campbell C, Nair Y, Maimane S, Nicholson J

Social Psychology, London School of Economics, UK. c.campbell@lse.ac.uk

We highlight the complex interplay of psychological and social factors driving AIDS stigma, drawing on a study of community responses to HIV/AIDS in two communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We draw on 120 semi-structured interviews and focus groups, in which open-ended topic guides were used to explore community responses to HIV/AIDS. Drivers of stigma included fear; the availability and relevance of AIDS-related information; the lack of social spaces to engage in dialogue about HIV/AIDS; the link between HIV/AIDS, sexual moralities and the control of women and young people; the lack of adequate HIV/AIDS management services; and the way in which poverty shaped people's reactions to HIV/AIDS. We discuss the implications of our findings for stigma-reduction programmes.

Published 18 April 2007 in J Health Psychol, 12(3): 403-16.
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