Mental Health of Caribbean Women with HIV/AIDS

Donna S. Baird, Lisa D. Jones, Fayetta Martin, Edilma Yearwood

Global Center for Behavioural Health, Washington DC, USA.
School of Nursing and Health Studies Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
School of Social Work Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2012.312151                

Abstract

Caribbean women have the highest HIV-infection rates in the Americas, yet the mental health and well-being of infected women and adolescent girls in the region has been neglected. Unlike this study many studies have that examined the mental health of women and adolescent girls affected by HIV/AIDS have primarily been conducted outside of the Caribbean. Further, gender inequality, stigma and poverty, and their subsequent behavioral manifestations are noted “structural drivers” of this pandemic across the Caribbean region. This paper focuses on Caribbean women and girls as a culturally vulnerable group, as well as addressing possible pre-existing psychiatric or psychological factors that may contribute to unsuccessful prevention of HIV/AIDS and poor disease management in this population.

Keywords

HIV/AIDS; Women; Mental Health; Caribbean; Psychology; Psychiatry

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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