Department of Psychology

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Browsing Department of Psychology by Author "Akram, Saba"

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    Lived Experience of Hiv/Aids Survivors: Stigmatization, Impact and Coping Strategies
    (University of Management & Technology, 2017) Akram, Saba
    Current study was carried out to explore the stigmatization, impact of HIV and coping strategies related to stigmatization and HIV related stressors. For this purpose, six male participants were selected, through purposive sampling. Participant were interviewed in AIDS treatment center of Jinnah Hospital after taking permission from Punjab AIDS Control Program. Data were analyzed through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). It was observed that participants were encounter with HIV through different sources as, injecting contaminated syringes, homosexual and heterosexual relationships, and blood transfusion. Three superordinate themes emerged were stigmatization of HIV, impact of HIV and coping strategies of HIV. Participants were stigmatized due to the endemic nature and sources through which virus get into the body. Due to fear of stigmatization participants concealed their HIV and selectively disclosed their disease to trusted individuals in their lives. Disclosure of HIV status led support. Participants disclosed their illness to get support HIV had an impact differently to the participants as, physically and psychologically, impact on family and societal impact; they faced societal rejection, social isolation, and fired from job. To cope with this stigmatization and negative impact of HIV, participants used two kinds of coping strategies; adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Adaptive coping included: religious coping, social coping and technical coping whereas, maladaptive coping included; avoidant coping, aggressive coping and blaming. These coping strategies helped participants to reduce their stress. Themes elicited from transcriptions were significantly related to the literature. This study may help us in understanding the struggling journey of coping strategies of HIV survivors with stigmatization and stressors related to HIV.