Results
Title

Judgements regarding the acceptability of childbearing and parental fitness made towards women living with HIV.

Authors

Lawson, Karen L.; Bayly, Melanie; Cey, Emma

Abstract

This study examines the societal perceptions and judgements made towards HIV-positive pregnant women when compared with those targeting pregnant women with other medical conditions. One hundred and sixty participants (124 female) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions defined by specific medical condition of the pregnant woman in the vignette (HIV/AIDS, obesity, lung cancer or diabetes). Participants were asked to respond to a variety of items gauging their reaction to the woman and her pregnancy subsequent to reading the scenario. As expected, participants were least approving of the pregnancy of the woman with HIV/AIDS, and they rated her as a less fit parent than the women with the other medical conditions. Subsequent analyses revealed that concern for the health of the child and attributions of responsibility/blame for the medical condition did not account for the differential reactions to the pregnant woman with HIV/AIDS. These findings corroborate the felt stigma and prejudicial attitudes reported by HIV-positive mothers.

Subjects

ANALYSIS of covariance; CHI-squared test; STATISTICAL correlation; HIV-positive persons; CASE studies; MOTHERHOOD; PREGNANCY; QUESTIONNAIRES; STATISTICAL sampling; SOCIAL stigma; ATTITUDES toward AIDS (Disease); DESCRIPTIVE statistics

Publication

AIDS Care, 2013, Vol 25, Issue 6, p676

ISSN

0954-0121

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1080/09540121.2012.748162