Journal Reading Assignment

1. Background:
Stigma has a potential impact on the quality of life of HIV-infected individuals over
time. There is little empirical evidence regarding the first appearance and dynamic
changes among different types of stigma, self stigma and public stigma, and their
impacts on quality of life over time in HIV-infected persons.
2. Purpose :
The purpose of this study was to assess the dynamic changes in self-stigma and
public-stigma along the time course and determined their independent and synergistic
impacts on quality of life.
3. Methods:
The research used is cross sectional design.
4. Sample:
Two hundred fifteen adult HIV-infected persons who came to an HIV clinic at two
tertiary hospitals and two branches of non-governmental AIDS organiz-ation (NGO)
in West Java.
5. Result :
- Self-stigma appeared prior to public-stigma. Six months after diagnosis of HIV,
the proportion of self-stigma began to drop while public-stigma started to rise.
- Beginning at 6-months after diagnosis, the scores for the physical and
psychological domains appeared to be slightly higher in persons with self-stigma
and public-stigma as compared to those without stigma
- Subjects with stigma showed consistentlylowerscoresforall domains48 months
after diagnosis.
6. Conclusion :
The researches foundpreliminary evidence for dynamic changes in self-stigma and
public-stigma and their effects on all domains and many different facets of WHOQOL
from the initial diagnosis up to 15 years after. Despite the widely adopted notion of
prevention and intervention of HIV-related stigma, both self-stigma and publicstigma
remain highly prevalent in Indonesia. researchers underscore the need to control the
complex structure effects of multiple stigmatizations. Further longterm follow-up
studies applying validated instruments of stigmas are necessary to understand the
detailed mechanisms.
7. Opinion :
People infected with HIV in Indonesia are still shunned by health care
providers or not directly accepted, and they tend to suffer physical isolation and
medical neglect. In this study it was found that self-stigma from people infected with
HIV began after they learned that they were diagnosed with HIV. 6 month after
diagnosis public-stigma started to rise. The dynamic changes in self-stigma and public
stigma and the effect on HIV-infected people last for from the diagnosis up to 15
years afterwards.
In one of the other journals there were 30 health workers at one of the
Puskesmas in Bandung. The results obtained by the stigma assessment of health
workers at the health center consisting of nurses, midwives, doctors, nutritionists and
analysis of the majority (60%) have a high stigma and discrimination against people
infected with HIV. Therefore, eradicating stigma and discrimination related to HIV
among health care workers is very important, so that HIV sufferers do not cover
themselves and want to seek treatment without fear of discrimination by health
workers, so as to reduce the spread of HIV infection in the community and improve
the quality of life of HIV patients.