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Coping Strategies for HIV-Related Stigma in Liuzhou, China

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An Erratum to this article was published on 29 January 2014

Abstract

This study explores the feelings, experiences, and coping strategies of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Liuzhou, China. In a southwestern Chinese city with high HIV prevalence, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 47 PLHIV selected to represent individuals who had acquired HIV via different acquisition routes. Many participants felt severely stigmatized; they commonly reported having very low self-esteem and feelings of despair. Based on style of coping and whether it occurred at the interpersonal or intrapersonal level, four types of coping that participants used to deal with HIV-associated stigma were identified: (1) Compassion (Passive/Avoidant—Interpersonal); (2) Hiding HIV status (Passive/Avoidant—Intrapersonal); (3) Social support (Active/Problem-focused—Interpersonal; and (4) Self-care (Active/Problem-focused—Intrapersonal). Educational and stigma-reduction interventions targeting potential social support networks for PLHIV (e.g., family, close friends, and peers) could strengthen active interpersonal PLHIV coping strategies. Interventions teaching self-care to PLHIV would encourage active intrapersonal coping, both of which may enhance PLHIV quality of life in Liuzhou, China.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by NIH R24 HD056670 (PIs: Gail Henderson and Pan Suiming). Dr. Huang Yingying has been instrumental in the success of this project and paper. Editing assistance was provided by Malena Rousseau and funded by the UNC Center for AIDS Research (NIH P30 AI50410). We would like to thank the local organizations that made recruitment possible, including the needle exchange centers, methadone treatment centers, MSM NGOs, women’s health clinic, and Longtan Hospital. Most of all, we appreciate the participants who generously shared their time and experiences with us.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liuzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Project Office, Tanzhong West Road 1-1, Liuzhou, 545007, Guangxi, China

    Zhang Ying-Xia & Li Ming-Qiang

  2. Editorial Department, Journal of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China

    Bu Jin

  3. Division of General Medicine and Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Carol E. Golin

  4. Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Carol E. Golin

  5. Center For AIDS Research (CFAR), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Carol E. Golin & Catherine Boland Emrick

  6. Department of Sociology and Institute of Sexuality and Gender, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Zhang Nan

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  1. Zhang Ying-Xia
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Correspondence to Zhang Ying-Xia.

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Ying-Xia, Z., Golin, C.E., Jin, B. et al. Coping Strategies for HIV-Related Stigma in Liuzhou, China. AIDS Behav 18 (Suppl 2), 212–220 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0662-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0662-2

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