“Allah will decide my life and death”: Religion and spirituality among populations at risk for HIV in Malaysia

Keywords

religion, spirituality, Malaysia, HIV/AIDS, stigma

Abstract

We examined the influence of religion and spirituality on HIV risk contexts through in-depth interviews with men who have sex with men (n = 10) and female commercial sex workers (n = 10) in Malaysia. Using a grounded theory approach, five themes emerged from the interviews: (a) religion encourages caring for health, (b) health is influenced by a higher power, (c) prayer is a conduit to health assistance, (d) stigma is compounded by religion but it does not limit one’s spirituality, and (e) religion is not but should be incorporated into HIV campaigns. Incorporation of spirituality in service provision and addressing stigma is warranted.

Original Publication Citation

Shaw, S.A., Cornwell, O.,* Lim, S.H., Saifi, R., Ung, L.T., Kamarulzaman, A. (2018). “Allah will decide my life and death”: Religion and HIV among populations at risk for HIV in Malaysia. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 37(2), 128-145.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2018-03-22

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5728

Publisher

Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Social Work

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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