Abstract

ENGELMAN, Martín. Discrimination and stigmatization as barriers to health care accessibility. Anu. investig. [online]. 2007, vol.14, pp.00-00. ISSN 1851-1686.

This report constitutes the first advancement of a doctorial thesis conducted by the author, a CONICET scholarship recipient, in conjunction with the Department of Psychology at UBA. The purpose of this report is to analyze situations, described by transvestite participants in the study, which currently act as obstacles in the provision of social protection as a public health right as defined by the PAHO. The situations recounted by the participants describe difficulties in healthcare access and conditions which diminish the quality of received care. The interviews reveal the existence of a common perception associating mental health disorders with HIV/AIDS infection, which contributes to the interpretation of disfunctional behavior due to mental health issues as phenomenons "inherente to travestites". This perception generates gender stigmatization and discrimination leading to institutional exclusion and self-exclusion in their access to health care.

Keywords : Accessibility; Health care quality; Discrimination; Stigma; HIV/AIDS; Transvestite; Mental disorders.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )