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"I hope I die. That is what I hope for": Qualitative study of lived experiences of mental health of Indian women living with HIV experiencing intersectional stigma

Mukerji, Reshmi; Mannell, Jenevieve; Osrin, David; (2023) "I hope I die. That is what I hope for": Qualitative study of lived experiences of mental health of Indian women living with HIV experiencing intersectional stigma. PLOS Global Public Health , 3 (12) , Article e0002075. 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002075. Green open access

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Abstract

Poor mental health due to stigma and discrimination has been well documented among women living with HIV. Although they often have other marginalized and stigmatized identities, little is known about their mental health as a result of experiencing multiple stigmas. Current narratives of mental health as a result of HIV-related stigma center on common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, biomedical diagnostic categories may not be as well known in all cultural and social contexts, and people may choose to express their distress in their own language. It is therefore important to listen to how women express their mental health concerns in their own language-their lived experiences-in order to best support them. To fill this research gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted in Kolkata, India, with 31 women living with HIV and 16 key informants. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic network analysis. The results showed that women suffered from poor mental health, which in turn affected their physical health. This happened through reduced adherence to medication, lowered CD4 counts, and the physical effects of stress, which could be perceived as prolonged. Participants described women's mental health concerns as worry, sadness, hopelessness, and fear, but biomedical diagnostic labels were rarely used. This allowed women to avoid additional stigmatization due to mental illness, which can attract some risk in this social context. As many women living with HIV experience poor mental health, they should be supported with a combination of psychosocial and psychological interventions. These include screening all women for mental illness and offering them mental health first aid. Those requiring additional support should be offered specialist psychotherapeutic and pharmacological care. This must be accompanied by stigma reduction interventions if they are to be successful in addressing the mental health needs of women living with HIV.

Type: Article
Title: "I hope I die. That is what I hope for": Qualitative study of lived experiences of mental health of Indian women living with HIV experiencing intersectional stigma
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002075
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002075
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2023 Mukerji et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Keywords: Mental health and psychiatry, HIV, HIV diagnosis and management, Personality, Domestic violence, Fear, Language, Women's health
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184897
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