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Cited by 184HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsRacial and Ethnic Identity ResearchHIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk

Critical race theory as a tool for understanding poor engagement along the HIV care continuum among African American/Black and Hispanic persons living with HIV in the United States: a qualitative exploration

Open access
Freeman, Robert, Gwadz, Marya Viorst, Silverman, Elizabeth, Kutnick, Alexandra, Leonard, Noelle R., Ritchie, Amanda S., Reed, Jennifer, Martinez, Belkis Y.·2017·International Journal for Equity in Health
DOI 10.1186/s12939-017-0549-3PMC PMC5364619
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: African American/Black and Hispanic persons living with HIV (AABH-PLWH) in the U.S. evidence insufficient engagement in HIV care and low uptake of HIV antiretroviral therapy, leading to suboptimal clinical outcomes. The present qualitative study used critical race theory, and incorporated intersectionality theory, to understand AABH-PLWH's perspectives on the mechanisms by which structural racism; that is, the macro-level systems that reinforce inequities among racial/ethnic groups, influence health decisions and behaviors. METHODS: Participants were adult AABH-PLWH in New York City who were not taking antiretroviral therapy nor well engaged in HIV care (N = 37). Participants were purposively sampled for maximum variation from a larger study, and engaged in semi-structured in-depth interviews that were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a systematic content analysis approach. RESULTS: We found AABH-PLWH experienced HIV care and medication decisions through a historical and cultural lens incorporating knowledge of past and present structural racism. This contextual knowledge included awareness of past maltreatment of people of color in medical research. Further, these understandings were linked to the history of HIV antiretroviral therapy itself, including awareness of the first HIV antiretroviral regimen; namely, AZT (zidovudine) mono-therapy, which was initially prescribed in unacceptably high doses, causing serious side effects, but with only modest efficacy. In this historical/cultural context, aspects of structural racism negatively influenced health care decisions and behavior in four main ways: 1) via the extent to which healthcare settings were experienced as overly institutionalized and, therefore, dehumanizing; 2) distrust of medical institutions and healthcare providers, which led AABH-PLWH to feel pressured to take HIV antiretroviral therapy when it was offered; 3) perceptions that patients are excluded from the health decision-making process; and 4) an over-emphasis on antiretroviral therapy compared to other non-HIV related priorities. We found that although participants were located at the intersection of multiple social categories (e.g., gender, social class, AABH race/ethnicity), race/ethnicity and social class were described as primary factors. CONCLUSIONS: Critical race theory proved useful in uncovering how macro-level structural racism affects individual-level health decisions and behaviors. HIV clinical settings can counter-balance the effects of structural racism by building "structural competency," and interventions fostering core self-determination needs including autonomy may prove culturally appropriate and beneficial for AABH-PLWH.

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  • Dale et al. found that racial discrimination was significantly associated with community stigma, geography and distance, and personal resources as barriers to HIV-related care among Black women living with HIV.

    “They found that racial discrimination was significantly associated with the following barriers: community stigma, geography and distance, and personal resources [23].”

    From Structural Racism Conceptualization and Operationalization for Research for the U.S. HIV Epidemic: Findings from a Scoping Review and Implications for Advancing Research for Structural Interventions (2024) · cites this paper as [23]

    The Results (page unavailable) link participants’ experiences of racial profiling and lower-quality HIV care to where they lived. But this is a qualitative study of African American/Black and Hispanic people living with HIV, not a finding of statistically significant associations among Black women with the three named barriers. The Discussion (page unavailable) addresses structural racism and HIV stigma but does not establish those associations. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [51]Drisko J Maschi T Content analysis 2016 New York Oxford University Press

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Authors
Freeman, R., Gwadz, M. V., Silverman, E., Kutnick, A., Leonard, N. R., Ritchie, A. S., Reed, J., & Martinez, B. Y.
Affiliations
Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (US)
Corresponding author
Gwadz, Marya Viorst
ORCID
Venue
International Journal for Equity in Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-03-24
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
54-54
ISSN
1475-9276 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12939-017-0549-3
PMC
PMC5364619
OpenAlex
W2597414543
Cited by
184
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 1
FWCI
17.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal for Equity in Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R34MH093352)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (P30DA01104)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
Keywords
HIV care engagement, antiretroviral therapy uptake, structural racism, critical race theory, intersectionality, structural competency, patient decision-making, zidovudine
MeSH terms
Adult, Black or African American, Decision Making, Delivery of Health Care, Female, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Middle Aged, New York City, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Social Class, United States, Health Behavior, HIV Infections, Personal Autonomy, Trust, Qualitative Research, Cultural Competency, Racism, Social Discrimination

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