Being Forced to Become Your Own Doctor: Men Who Have Sex with Men's Experiences of Stigma in the Tanzanian Healthcare System

ABSTRACT

Objective: To acquire a deepened understanding of how stigma in healthcare affects health-seeking behaviors of same-sex practising men in Tanzania. Methods: In-depth interviews with 12 men were conducted in Dar es Salaam, 2012. Data were interpreted through qualitative content analysis. Results: Narratives revealed that men's healthcare perceptions were shaped by previous encounters, rumors in gay community, norms, and legislation around homosexuality. Fears of exposure aggravated men's possibilities of giving full anamnesis and detached them from formal healthcare services. Conclusions: Stigma in healthcare might lead to severe public health problems due to perceived exclusion from the health system by sexual minorities.

KEYWORDS:

• Homophobia
• qualitative studies
• gay men
• sexual minorities
• STIs

Acknowledgments

We would like to extend our sincere thanks for study participants partaking in this project.

Funding

Funding for the fieldwork was provided by a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, 5R21 MH090908(MWR). The content of the article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.