Impact of HIV on and the constructions of masculinities among HIV-positive men in South Africa: implications for secondary prevention programs

Yandisa Msimelelo Sikweyiya · Rachel K. Jewkes · Kristin Dunkle

52 citations0/0 files storedGlobal Health Action

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Gender Roles and Identity Studies Gender and Feminist Studies HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To date, whilst there have been many published studies exploring the links between masculinity and HIV, not much work has been done to explore how an HIV-positive diagnosis impacts men's sense of masculinity and contextualizing the masculinities as fluid and changing. OBJECTIVE: To explore how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impacts the lives of men and their constructions of masculinity through interviews with 18 men living with HIV. DESIGN: Qualitative study involving conveniently and purposively selected black South African adult men who lived with HIV. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 men who resided in Johannesburg and Mthatha, South Africa. RESULTS: Our analysis suggests that the performance of risky masculinity may influence the acquisition of HIV. Yet, it also reveals that HIV can have a significant effect on men and their masculinities. Men's constructions of harmful notions of hegemonic masculinity pre-HIV diagnosis negatively affected their help-seeking behavior and coping and adjustment to living with HIV, post-diagnosis. The dominant discourse that men are strong and healthy visibly presented challenges for men when faced with an HIV-positive status. They interpreted HIV diagnosis as a loss, a sign of failure as a man, and evidence of an inability to retain control. Being sick undermined their ability to perform roles expected of them, and this led to feelings of powerlessness, worthlessness, and distress. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions with men living with HIV need to provide safe spaces for men to critically explore gender and constructions of social identities and the pressures these place on men and implications for their health. With this approach, harmful constructions of masculinities may be challenged and mitigated, and this process may render men amenable to change.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 52 citations exist upstream.

References

1969Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity 1964Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity.2005Hegemonic Masculinity 1997Interpreting Qualitative Data Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction 2000Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men's well-being: a theory of gender and health 2024Interpreting Qualitative Data 1987Gender and power 1997Manhood in America: A Cultural History.

Cited by

2017“I Tried to Resist and Avoid Bad Friends”2019Constructing, reproducing and challenging masculinities in a participatory intervention in urban informal settlements in South Africa 2024The “Ideal Man”: How Gender Norms and Expectations Shape South African Men’s Masculinity, Sexual Identities, and Well-Being 2020Did young women in South African informal settlements display increased agency after participating in the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention? A qualitative evaluation 2014Bridging risk and enactment: the role of psychology in leading psychosocial research to augment the public health approach to violence in South Africa

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.