title: Felt Stigma in Injection Drug Users and Sex Workers: Focus Group Research with HIV-Risk Populations in Puerto Rico.
abstract: Though many studies have conclusively linked felt stigma and HIV, few have focused on the experiences of rejection felt by members of such socially marginalized groups as intravenous drug users (IDU) and sex workers (SW). Using focus groups, our study explored these experiences in 34 individuals (17 male UDUs and 17 female SWs) at risk of becoming infected with HIV, the objective being to discover why they engaged in maladaptive behaviors as a way of coping with felt stigma. We used deductive and inductive analysis to codify the resulting data. Concepts associated with the word stigma, emotional reactions to felt stigma, and the impact of felt stigma on self-schema helped elucidate how the internalization of felt stigma can lead to negative affective states and self-destructive behaviors (e.g., drug use and syringe exchange). Results underline the importance of developing intervention models that reduce stigma as a means of HIV prevention in vulnerable populations.
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Marieva
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puig
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Ana Cecilia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Eida
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Marangelie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.affiliation: Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zorrilla
keywords: HIV at-risk populations; drug users; felt stigma; focus groups; self-schema; sex workers