Reference no: EM133603565
Case: Alex is a 26-year-old Latino who has been married for eight years. He has a wife and three young children. He is returning to the clinic for his first follow-up visit after receiving an HIV diagnosis the previous week. Upon interviewing Alex, the provider asks him if he has shared his diagnosis with his family and if his wife has been tested.
Alex responds that he has not shared the information about his HIV status yet because he is afraid that his family will reject him. Further discussion about how Alex contracted HIV reveals that he has been engaging in unprotected anal intercourse with other men in the evenings when he gets off work. He does not want his wife to know about his diagnosis. His wife has never been tested for HIV.
He self-identifies as heterosexual and says that he only has sex with men because it is something new and different, not because he is attracted to men. He says that he loves his wife and his children very much, and that he does not want to hurt them.
Discussion Questions
Question 1. What are some Latino cultural values that the provider could address in order to persuade Alex to share his diagnosis with his wife and family?
Question 2. What is a Latino cultural value that may attribute to Alex's refusal to self-identify a bisexual person?
Question 3. How can the provider respond to Alex's confessions of homosexual behavior in a culturally competent manner?
Question 4. Discuss other Cultural Competence issues that may impact retention into care and treatment.