Stigma, nurses and Acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Abstract

This was a study of stigma in the context of HIV/AIDS. The author developed a theory of stigma drawing on social psychology, psychoanalytic concepts and notions of anxiety and coping. A triangulation of methods was used to assess nurses' attitudes and behaviour towards AIDS patients. Four methods were used: a systematic analysis of the previous literature on attitudes based on a set of hypotheses derived from the theory; development of a psychometrically satisfactory questionnaire and its administration to a variety of groups, the main group being student nurses; an observational study in four centres specially designated for AIDS patients; and, a projective technique designed to elicit unconscious motives and feelings in nurses and patients.The first study while it showed the pattern of results in previous works, did not yield many appropriate findings, not least because the poor quality of the questionnaires used typically led to many discrepant findings. In contrast, the author's own questionnaire did in many respects support the theoretical predictions. The observational study showed that AIDS centres have the same institutional characteristics as those described by Goffman and others, even though the staff believe the centres are special and different from other institutional settings. Finally, the analysis of the projective material revealed a considerable amount of negative affect (more in nurses than in patients). It is concluded that multi-method, multi-level approaches are appropriate to testing theories of stigma and to provide a complete picture.</p