How do people respond to the news that they are HIV positive? To date, there have been few published qualitative studies of HIV diagnosis experiences, and none focusing on Caribbean people. Twenty-five HIV-positive Caribbean people in London, UK, related their diagnosis experience and its immediate aftermath in semi-structured interviews. Diagnosis with HIV caused profound shock and distress to participants, as they associated the disease with immediate death and stigmatisation. The respondents struggled with "biographical disruption", the radical disjuncture between life before and after diagnosis, which led them into a state of liminality, as they found themselves "betwixt and between" established structural and social identities. Respondents were faced with multifaceted loss: of their known self, their present life, their envisioned future and the partner they had expected to play a role in each of these. A minority of accounts suggest that the way in which healthcare practitioners delivered the diagnosis intensified the participants' distress. This research suggests that healthcare practitioners should educate patients in specific aspects of HIV transmission and treatment, and engage closely with them in order to understand their needs and potential reactions to a positive diagnosis. Adapted from the source document.
Outlines some disparities in African Caribbean women's reproductive experiences in relation to contraception, abortion and infertility in contemporary UK, and calls for greater research into their reproductive experiences, in order to better understand and meet their reproductive needs.
A review of the epidemiological literature on the health of UK-born Black Caribbeans was undertaken. Forty-three papers were found; around half of these were on the incidence of schizophrenia and psychotic conditions in this population. A small number were on autoimmune disorders, sexual health, diet and alcohol intake and children's health. Findings are consistent in that UK-born Black Caribbeans are more likely to be diagnosed with these conditions than Whites, and possibly more so than migrant Black Caribbeans.
Preidis,Geoffrey A. (Author), Shapiro,Conor D. (Author), Pierre,Inobert (Author), Dyer,Monica J. (Author), Kozinetz,Claudia A. (Author), and Grimes,Richard M. (Author)
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
May 2010
Published:
Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press
Location:
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The HIV/ AIDS pandemic disproportionately afflicts regions of the world that have minimal access to formal schooling and low literacy rates. Health educational interventions are difficult to evaluate efficiently in these settings because standard approaches such as written questionnaires cannot easily be employed. Describes a method of rapidly assessing health interventions among large groups that does not require the ability to read or write. This evaluation tool was tested within the context of a community-based HIV/AIDS drama education program in a low-literate region of rural Haiti.
Yvonne J. Graham, CEO of the Caribbean Women's Health Association, discussed the health disparities that continue to plague racial and ethnic groups in the New York City metropolitan area at the Brooklyn-based group's annual benefit reception. The CWHA's chief mission is to respond to problems affecting immigrants from the Caribbean region.
Eric M. Fine, M.D., M.P.H. (author / Chief Division of Infant, Child and Adolescent Health Services, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ), Misbah Khan, M.D. (author / M.O.H. Pediatric Consultant, Preventive Medicine Administration, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland), Donna C. Folkemer (author / Office on Aging), Jo Harris (author / Office on Aging), Brigita Krompholz, M.D. (author / Office on Aging), Patricia Smith, M.D. (author / Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Delegate Tyras S. Athey (author / Chairman, Maryland Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation), and Senator John Carroll Byrnes (author / Vice-Chairman, Maryland Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation)
Format:
Reports
Publication Date:
unknown
Location:
City Planning & Landscape Architecture Reference and Resource Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 48; Folder: 3
Perron,Brian E. (Author), Alexander-Eitzman,Ben (Author), Watkins,Daphne (Author), Taylor,Robert Joseph (Author), Baser,Ray (Author), Neighbors,Harold W. (Author), and Jackson,James S. (Author)
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2009
Location:
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Prior research has shown that minority groups experience greater levels of disability associated with psychiatric and substance use conditions due to barriers to treatment. This study compares African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites regarding their probability of making treatment contacts over time, using a combined sample of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) and non-Hispanic Whites from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R).
Background. Perinatal depression among Black Caribbean women in the UK remains an intriguingly under-researched topic. Despite high levels of known psychosocial risks, Black Caribbeans remain relatively invisible among those seeking/receiving help for depression during and after pregnancy. Methods. In-depth interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of twelve Black Caribbean women selected from a larger sample (n=101) to examine prevalence and psychosocial risks for perinatal depression among this ethnic group. The study also sought to explore women's models of help-seeking. During analysis, the context in which help-seeking/giving is mediated emerged as a key issue. We explore the nature of these encounters thereby opening up the possibility of finding common ground between service users and providers for enabling women to receive the care and support they need. Findings. Whether or not women configure depressive feelings as 'symptoms' requiring external validation and intervention is a reflection both of the social embeddedness of those individuals and of how 'help-givers' perceive them and their particular needs. We suggest that the ways in which help-seeking/giving are commonly conceptualised might offer at least a partial explanation for apparently low levels of diagnosed perinatal depression among Black Caribbean women. Conclusions. Popular approaches to health seeking behaviours within health promotion and practice focus on individuals as the fulcrum for change, tending to overlook their embeddedness within 'reflexive communities'. This might serve to reinforce the invisibility of Black Caribbean women both in mainstream mental health services and associated research. Alternative approaches may be required to achieve government targets to reduce inequalities in access, care, and treatment and to deliver more responsive and culturally-appropriate mental health services.
