STIGMA: THAI FAMILIES LIVING UNDER THE SPECTRE OF HIV

Abstract

This inquiry took place in one of the poorest region ofN orth Eastern Thailand, Isan. The research question revolved around the actions to be taken to assist Thai families whose lives have been affected by HIV and/or AIDS. There were abundant literature around stigma, orphans and caregivers, but none had woven topics together to explore the condition of Thai families living under the spectre of HIV. In this inquiry, participants were asked to talk about their experiences, their accounts, their events and their stories. The research team consists of four members: a bilingual Thai Ph.D. candidate and her three supervisors and the inquiry took place in 2009-2010. Koch and Kralik's (2006) participatory action research (PAR) approach had been adopted as inquiry methodology in this work. This methodology consists of two distinct phases. Phase one was storytelling ( one to one interviews with each participant) consisting of nine participants from five families. Caregivers were predominantly grandmothers. Stories for commonalities of experience were analyzed (referred to as construct). The families experienced stigma and discrimination as the most dominant construct. The second phase of the  methodology was a PAR group discussion with the same nine participants and local community health nurses, holding four PAR groups, spaced at monthly intervals. Patient living with HIV not only suffer the dramatic disruptions in their lives but they also need to confront a community viewing them as less than a normal member. We suggest that our role as health care professionals could be focused on enabling people to confront their fears in tackling the social world.