Social Epidemiology of HIV Infection Among Wives of Nepalese Labor Migrants: Explaining the Context and Complexity

HIV-related behaviors are non-linear and unpredictable due to the influence of contextual forces. Therefore, in this PhD research, a social epidemiological approach was opted to study the influence of contextual and mediating factors on HIV-related risk behaviors of wives of Nepalese labor migrants. This PhD dissertation addresses four important questions. These questions are: (a) Are wives of Nepalese labor migrants particularly vulnerable to HIV infection? (b) Should HIV prevention interventions only target labor migrant couples? (c) How and under what circumstances do HIV stigma reduction interventions influence HIV test uptake? (d) How does the local context have an impact on HIV disclosure? Such information is important to fulfil the key gaps in the literature by providing social epidemiological theories on women’s HIV vulnerability, stigma reduction and HIV disclosure, and to help program managers and policymakers to develop contextually appropriate interventions to reduce the burden of HIV infection in Nepal.status: publishe