Sangeeta Fernandes
Committee:
Michael Cody, Chair
Ute Ritterfeld, Doe Mayer
ABSTRACT:
The Invisible Man: Examining AIDS and Men at Risk in India
This dissertation deals specifically with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in India, insofar as it examines the socio-cultural impact on risk perception of HIV/AIDS and on performance of safe sex behavior. The studies focus on behaviorally homosexual men who are excluded from the major health information dissemination campaigns due to stigma, poverty, and low literacy levels. Reaching behaviorally homosexual men in India with safe sex messages, albeit extremely important, is difficult since these individuals are rendered imperceptible due to social stigma and lack of legal protection. Not only are these people at risk left untargeted by AIDS messages, but they are further alienated due to differences in language, culture, values and religion.
A pair of studies were conducted to assess (1) a more clear definition of MSM categories in India and to provided evidence for perceived differences among these MSM categories; (2) how behavior and risk are affected by stigma; (3) the nature of media use and dependency patterns among the different groups of MSM; (4) attitudes to condom use and negotiation skills. The first study consisted of 8 focus groups involving four groups of MSM in Mumbai and Goa. (kothis: self-identified gay men, hijras: transgenders, panthis: men married to women who have sex with men, and MSWs: Male sex workers). The second study was conducted in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa and involved 210 subjects. This study was informed by the results of the focus groups and sought primarily to support the findings of the qualitative study with quantifiable results.
Results indicate that differences in sexual identity reflect differences between groups in terms of knowledge, susceptibility to risk and perceived self-efficacy.