Use of folk healing practices by HIV-infected Hispanics living in the United States.
In the absence of a medical cure for AIDS, HIV-infected individuals may seek alternative treatments that are consistent with cultural and social beliefs. This paper examines beliefs about, and use of, folk healing practices by HIV-infected Hispanics receiving care at an HIV/AIDS clinic in inner-city New Jersey. Anonymous individual interviews were conducted with 58 male and 18 female HIV-infected Hispanics aged 23-55, primarily of Puerto Rican origin (61%) or descent (29%). The majority of respondents believed in good and evil spirits (73.7%); among the 56 believers, 48% stated that the spirits had a causal role in their infection, either alone or in conjunction with the AIDS virus. Two thirds of the respondents engaged in folk healing (spiritualism and/or santeria). The main desired outcomes of folk healing included physical relief (44%), spiritual relief (40%), and protection from evil (26%). A number of respondents (n = 9) stated that they hoped to effect a cure by engaging in folk healing. These results indicate that health care professionals treating HIV-positive Hispanics should be aware of the prevalence of folk beliefs and alternative healing practices in this population.
Suarez
M
M
Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.
Raffaelli
M
M
O'Leary
A
A
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008602:Mental Healing; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires