Abstract
Disclosure of a positive HIV serostatus is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. This study uses a mixed methods approach to examine disclosure and outcome related issues among a randomly selected group of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLH) in Terna, Ghana. Overall, disclosure was relatively high among the PLH. The qualitative data showed that PLH first assessed people in their lives to whom they could potentially disclose and only disclose to those they believed would accept them, provide them support, and/or keep disclosure secret. However, some PLH inaccurately predicted the reactions of people to whom they disclosed their serostatus. Also, an important proportion of the PLH did not disclose their serostatus because of fear of stigmatization, discrimination, divorce, and being accused of promiscuity. These fears were somewhat justified because among PLH who disclosed, 42 percent experienced some negative reactions. Also, stigma was an important inhibiting factor to disclosure regardless of the social and demographic characteristics of PLH. Stigma was the only statistically significant factor that predicted disclosure among our study participants. This study shows that there should be a range of different programs and policy approaches in order to achieve the UN AIDS 2011-2015 strategy of getting to zero new infections (UNAIDS, 2010). These programs should have a holistic approach whereby they work with PLH who have been rejected and the people who have rejected them as well, especially family and friends of the PLH.
Recommended Citation
Sakitey, Ethel O.; Moore, Ami R.; and Amey, Foster K.
(2018)
"Disclosure of Positive Serostatus among People Living with HIV in Terna, Ghana: Decisions and Outcomes,"
Journal of African Policy Studies: Vol. 24:
No.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/joaps/vol24/iss1/2