Author(s)

Racky Wade-Kane^1*, Momar Camara¹, El Hadji Makhtar Ba¹, Idrissa Ba², Sokhna Seck¹, Abou Sy¹, Ibrahima Ndiaye², Oumar Mamadou Samba², Ndéye Dialé Ndiaye Ndongo¹, Papa Lamine Faye¹, Aida Sylla¹, Mamadou Habib Thiam¹

¹Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, National University Hospital Center of Fann, Dakar, Senegal.
²Center for the Integrated Support of Addictions in Dakar (CEPIAD), National University Hospital Center of Fann, Dakar, Senegal.

Context: HIV infection is an infectious, viral, chronic disease described as a public health problem. It has an impact on bio-psycho-social well-being. Thus, the objective of our study is to decrypt the representations of HIV infection in our patients. Methodology: 31 consecutively recruited HIV-infected patients participated in our study. The completed questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics, association membership, psycho-social aspects of HIV infection, mode of transmission and adherence to antiretroviral treatment. Secondly, we proceeded to an assessment of the psychological state of the patient. Results: Almost 77% of HIV patients do not date peers in an association. At the time of the study, more than half of patients or 19/31 with HIV had a positive image of the disease. Before the diagnosis of the disease, more than 2/3 of patients with HIV, i.e. 25/31, have a negative image of the disease. The 31 PLHIV have been aware of their positive HIV status for an average of 11 years with extremes of 2 years and 21 years. Almost 21/31 of PLHIV have shared their positive serological status. The main barrier in patient communication was the risk of disclosure of HIV status. Most of the patients (45.2%) thought of death when they announced their positive HIV status, and 19.4% thought of their children. In 80.6% of cases, relationships with family, friends and neighbors were normal and remained unchanged for 74% of patients. The patients thought they had been infected through sexual intercourse in 84% of cases. Our study showed that 6 of the 31 PLHIV experienced stigma. Among these 6 patients, 3 had psychological repercussions and a voluntary interruption of treatment. Conclusion: The representations are dynamic. In Senegal, the eradication of discrimination among people living with HIV must imperatively involve a reconstruction of individual, collective and social representations.

HIV, Representations, Stigma, Senegal

Wade-Kane, R. , Camara, M. , Ba, E. , Ba, I. , Seck, S. , Sy, A. , Ndiaye, I. , Samba, O. , Ndongo, N. , Faye, P. , Sylla, A. and Thiam, M. (2022) Quantitative Study on Individual Representations in Senegalese Patients Living with HIV (PLHIV). Open Journal of Psychiatry, 12, 23-36. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2022.121003.