IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/psydev/v12y2000i1p43-65.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perception of AIDS in Mumbai: A Study of Low Income Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Shalini Bharat

    (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai)

Abstract

Social perception of an illness impacts people's ways of responding to the sick and to the illness itself. In particular, illnesses that are given to moral interpreta tions such as STDs and AIDS elicit more negative than positive responses. This paper seeks to understand how AIDS isperceived and interpreted within a cultural setting. Using the qualitative research approach, 18 focus group discussions were held with young and adult men and women in lower and lower middle income groups in Mumbai. Familiarity with AIDS was found to be high among the re spondents but discussions revealed several misconceptions and fears about it. In general, men had greater awareness and knowledge but more misconceptions as well compared to women. The findings reconfirm the several AIDS metaphors and symbols described in other cultural settings. These include the perception of AIDS as a dreaded, shameful, invited and "othered" disease; its strong associa tion with sex and sex workers; its fatal outcome and its androcentric focus. These perceptions are discussed in the context of local beliefs and norms ofgender rela tions. Implications of the findings for AIDS prevention and advocacy work are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Shalini Bharat, 2000. "Perception of AIDS in Mumbai: A Study of Low Income Communities," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 12(1), pages 43-65, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:psydev:v:12:y:2000:i:1:p:43-65
    DOI: 10.1177/097133360001200104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/097133360001200104
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/097133360001200104?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gilmore, Norbert & Somerville, Margaret A., 1994. "Stigmatization, scapegoating and discrimination in sexually transmitted diseases: Overcoming 'them' and 'us'," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1339-1358, November.
    2. Nisbet, L.A. & McQueen, D.V., 1993. "Anti-permissive attitudes to lifestyles associated with AIDS," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 893-901, April.
    3. Caprara, Andrea & Seri, Dedy & De Gregorio, Giulio C. & Parenzi, Alessandro & Salazar, Carlos M. & Gozé, Tapé, 1993. "The perception of AIDS in the Bété and Baoulé of the Ivory Coast," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 1229-1235, May.
    4. Lieban, Richard W., 1992. "From illness to symbol and symbol to illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 183-188, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wallis, Patrick & Nerlich, Brigitte, 2005. "Disease metaphors in new epidemics: the UK media framing of the 2003 SARS epidemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(11), pages 2629-2639, June.
    2. Fei Teng & Xijing Wang & Jiaxin Shi & Zhansheng Chen & Qianying Huang & Wanrong Cheng, 2021. "Psychosomatic Symptoms and Neuroticism following COVID-19: The Role of Online Aggression toward a Stigmatized Group," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Denis-Ramirez, Elise & Sørensen, Katrine Holmegaard & Skovdal, Morten, 2017. "In the midst of a ‘perfect storm’: Unpacking the causes and consequences of Ebola-related stigma for children orphaned by Ebola in Sierra Leone," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 445-453.
    4. Bond, Virginia & Chase, Elaine & Aggleton, Peter, 2002. "Stigma, HIV/AIDS and prevention of mother-to-child transmission in Zambia," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 347-356, November.
    5. Mak, Winnie W.S. & Mo, Phoenix K.H. & Cheung, Rebecca Y.M. & Woo, Jean & Cheung, Fanny M. & Lee, Dominic, 2006. "Comparative stigma of HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Tuberculosis in Hong Kong," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(7), pages 1912-1922, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:psydev:v:12:y:2000:i:1:p:43-65. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.