Female healthcare professionals' behaviour and attitudes in the context of the feminisation of HIV/AIDS: gender vulnerability analysis.
In only a few years, HIV/AIDS became a severe public health problem worldwide. More recently, the phenomenon of feminisation has substantially modified the epidemiological profile of the pandemic. Drawing on Grounded Theory, this qualitative, descriptive study examines the adoption of HIV/AIDS prevention measures and practices by women health professionals. Data were acquired by semi-structured interviews of 12 women working as health professionals providing care for HIV-seropositive women. Analysis of the results showed how, as women, the participants felt safe and protected against HIV in a so-called stable relationship, because they relied on factors such as trust in their companion, and perceived themselves as vulnerable and exposed to the risk of sexual contamination. As health professionals, they revealed concerns relating to care for women with HIV, ranging from speculations about how the women were contaminated, to the sensitivity, as women professionals, to put themselves in the place of the women with HIV and, also as professionals, expressed fear of contamination through accidents with biological material. It was concluded that, despite understanding the importance of adopting self-protective HIV-prevention measures and practices, they admitted the existence of vulnerability from occupational rather than sexual risk, and accordingly deployed protective measures against workplace accidents, but failed to use condoms and thus continued to be exposed to HIV in their sexual relations.
a Faculdade de Enfermagem , Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
Tainara Serodio Amim
TS
Rangel Porto
a Faculdade de Enfermagem , Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
Carla Marins
CM
Silva
a Faculdade de Enfermagem , Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
Octavio Muniz da Costa
OM
Vargens
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017280:Condoms; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010465:Perception; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D035502:Trust
Women’s health; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; gender and health; health education; health vulnerability