Playing the blame game: casting guilt and avoiding stigma during a tuberculosis health crisis

This study examines the consequences of stigmatization that occurred during a tuberculosis outbreak concentrated among Puerto Rican clients enrolled in a Chicago drug treatment center. Using ethnographic methods, I examine three factors that contributed to the stigmatization of those with TB. One fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sociology and social policy 2003-01, Vol.23 (6/7), p.80-114
Main Author: Jimenez, Antonio D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1220
9130
9190
Behavior
Blame
Boundaries
Chicago
Chicago Illinois
Community
Confidentiality
Disease
Diseases
Drug Addiction
Drug addicts
Drug resistance
Drugs
Epidemics
Ethnic groups
Experimental/theoretical
Fear
Field study
Health centres
Intervention
Labeling
Marginality
Marginalized people
Minority & ethnic groups
Mycobacterium
Outbreaks
Public health
Puerto Rican Americans
Puerto Rican people
Puerto Rico
Social interaction
Social life & customs
Social trends & culture
Sociology
Stigma
Stigmatization
Studies
Substance abuse treatment
Treatment Programs
Tuberculosis
United States
USA
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Summary:This study examines the consequences of stigmatization that occurred during a tuberculosis outbreak concentrated among Puerto Rican clients enrolled in a Chicago drug treatment center. Using ethnographic methods, I examine three factors that contributed to the stigmatization of those with TB. One factor concerns the fear elicited by the deadly disease that aroused reactions among Puerto Rican community members that were derived from earlier experiences. A second factor involves traditional public health measures enacted in response to the outbreak that facilitating labeling of those with TB, further fueling stigmatization. A third factor concerns the re-articulation of group boundaries occurring among drug program inhabitants, whereby TB-impacted persons were marginalized in order to reaffirmed the status of others whose identity had been compromised by the epidemic. The study's implications for public health are discussed and suggestions are offered for developing innovative intervention approaches.
ISSN:0144-333X
1758-6720
DOI:10.1108/01443330310790606