Destigmatizing perceptions of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV)
A reflexive thematic analysis among pre-clinical medical students at a Malaysian public university
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22327612 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Calvin Fernandez (University of British Columbia), John Oliffe (University of British Columbia), Patricia Zhu (0000-0001-6549-3668, The University of Melbourne), Wei-Han Hong (University of Malaya), Chan Choong Foong (0000-0003-4790-005X, University of Malaya) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 175 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1823-8521 • E-ISSN: 3009-0237 |
| Publisher | Qualitative Research Association of Malaysia (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.61211/mjqr120112 |
| OpenAlex | W7165793872 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
People living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV) can experience high levels of HIV stigma in Malaysian healthcare settings, hindering their access to HIV diagnosis and treatment services. Among Malaysian medical students – future doctors who would go on to treat and care for PLHIV, numerous evidence has documented how Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) stigma can characterize their discriminatory perceptions towards PLHIV. However, limited research has explored the factors that may underpin the destigmatization of HIV among medical students. This is particularly crucial to address, given the fact that stigmatizing perceptions can manifest as discriminatory attitudes and behaviors upon entering the healthcare workforce, impacting how HIV-related care is ultimately delivered. Addressing this gap, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted with six preclinical medical students at a Malaysian public university to identify the factors that influenced how they dismantled previously held HIV-related stigma. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted online via Zoom. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate three distinct yet interconnected themes that characterize the destigmatization of PLHIV among Malaysian medical students: Interaction with others, Traditional and social media, and Formal education. In addition to informing future large-scale research/interventions, these findings can also shape ongoing efforts to develop targeted HIV awareness programs and competency-based medical education curricula to better prepare pre-clinical medical students to equitably care for PLHIV. Our recommendations include the need to center the lived experiences of PLHIV as key dimensions of medical education training and emphasize more political will and investments in addressing HIV-related misinformation in the media and school settings, including implementing HIV sensitization and awareness trainings for media personnel and educators
Curriculum · Health care · Misinformation · Perception · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Thematic analysis · HIV Research and Treatment · HIV-related health complications and treatments · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
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| Highly cited | No |
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