In this regard, Hackl and her colleagues emphasize, "Women who share their HIV or AIDS diagnosis with family or friends risk stigmatization (including reactions of fear, shock, and blame), isolation (as a result of others' fears of casual transmission and the possibility of desertion), and potential loss of self-esteem (lack of confidence and self-blame)" (p. 53).
The alternative to sharing their diagnosis is also not viable: "Keeping the diagnosis of HIV a secret may hinder a woman's ability to develop effective coping strategies and leave her vulnerable to fear, anger, and depression. These problems may worsen as the progression of HIV disease creates significant changes in behavior, attitudes, and physical appearance" (Hackl et al., p. 54). As Rosenberg emphasizes, though, "Medical experts know that those who get tested and counseled reduce risky sexual behaviors. Treatment also reduces the stigma of AIDS. One of the biggest reasons people don't change their sexual behavior is because AIDS is just too scary to contemplate. Where AIDS is always fatal, it is shrouded in denial. This phenomenon changes when AIDS becomes a manageable chronic illness, like diabetes" (p. 23).
According to Blumberg, Osborn, Larry and Olson (2003), policy development for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention requires accurate and timely data in order to develop, target, implement, and evaluate effective prevention programs; however, although there has been an increased amount of attention given to developing information on HIV and STD risk and preventive behaviors for many infected and high-risk populations, the inclusion of explicit questions on risk and preventive behaviors in general population surveys has traditionally been limited by concerns about...
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