The interaction between axes of inequality in studies on discrimination, stigma and HIV/AIDS: contributions to the recent international literature

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a systematic literature review in order to identify how recent studies have addressed the interaction between social inequality and the processes of exclusion and marginalisation related to HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination. The review was conducted using PubMed and Scopus databases and included publications from 2008 to 2011. Of 497 summaries found in the review, 42 were selected and classified based on topic, population, axes of inequality employed, conceptualisation of stigma and relationship between stigma and vulnerability. Results demonstrated that there is a predominance of research on stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS, sexual and racial/ethnic minorities and migrants. The axes of inequality examined in the literature were linked to specific cultural and socio-economic dimensions and analysed as factors that behave synergistically to increase social groups' vulnerability to HIV. Half of the 42 articles viewed expression of stigma/discrimination to be the result of power dynamics that reinforce the processes of social exclusion. The other half of the articles tended to describe stigma as intrinsic to social interaction. Some researchers are making a visible effort to devise consistent theoretical and methodological approaches in order to understand stigma as a complex social process produced at the intersection of different axes of inequality. These efforts provide vital information that can inform how best to address HIV/AIDS stigma.