Living with HIV, from a transcultural perspective : a comparative study between Spanish and Swedish young

Abstract

This study presents some results of a qualitative research about the processes of social exclusion experienced by a sample of Spanish and Swedish young, with HIV through horizontal transmission (sexual relations in all cases). The aim is to analyze the impact of HIV/AIDS in their social and personal lives and to identify and describe any cultural models circulating among them, relevant to processes of social exclusion, by focusing on the Cultural Consensus Theory. This research is based on the collection of autobiographical narratives of four young men between 26 and 27. While there is insignificant individual variability, there are also some common cultural and social responses to the stigmatizing power of HIV/AIDS in Spanish and Swedish youth culture.