The determination of individuals' thoughts about stigma and approaches to the use of health services by those with risky behavior in terms of sexually transmitted infections

Volume: 51 Number: 1 March 1, 2012
  • Sevencan F
  • Aslan D
  • Kın A
  • Akın L
EN TR

The determination of individuals' thoughts about stigma and approaches to the use of health services by those with risky behavior in terms of sexually transmitted infections

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this qualitative study is to determine thoughts about stigma and approach to the use of health services by those who have risky behavior in terms of sexually transmitted infections. Materials and Methods: Twelve focus group discussions and 24 in-depth interviews were conducted among 72 participants who were female sex workers (24 respondents), men who have sex with men (24 respondents) and transsexuals (24 respondents). Data were analyzed by thematic coding method. Result: In the interviews that were held with all three groups, it was expressed that sexually transmitted infections should be kept secret. The reason was that society holds negative perceptions of individuals with sexually transmitted infections and perceives them only as sex slaves and in turn alienates such people. In addition to society's perceptions the attitude of medical care staff against such individuals has played an important role in use of medical services. The reasons that private hospitals are preferred is the expectation of respect, not to waiting for too long and the doctor's allocating sufficient time for the visit. All three groups stated that health policies should be reviewed regarding medical care services and that the infrastructure should be reinforced. Conclusion: It is recommended that non-governmental organizations and everyone who delivers health services should work on the rights of risk groups and increase their capacity in order to improve the health of risk groups in respect of sexually transmitted infections and more ready access to healthcare services.

Keywords

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

-

Journal Section

-

Authors

Sevencan F

Aslan D

Kın A

Akın L

Publication Date

March 1, 2012

Submission Date

March 1, 2012

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2012 Volume: 51 Number: 1

Vancouver
1.Sevencan F, Aslan D, Kın A, Akın L. Cinsel yolla bulaşan enfeksiyonlar yönünden riskli davranış gösteren kişilerin damgalanma konusundaki görüşleri ve sağlık hizmeti kullanımlarına ilişkin değerlendirmeler. EJM [Internet]. 2012 Mar. 1;51(1):43-50. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA59KF62EK

Ege Journal of Medicine enables the sharing of articles according to the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.