NCJ Number
139021
Date Published
1992
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The role and impact of HIV infection in the lives of marginalized young people in Australia is examined. Two aspects are discussed: how those young people who place themselves within close proximity of the virus play with issues of life and death and how HIV-positive young people respond to their infection.
Abstract
The data on marginalized young people were obtained from two surveys conducted in the inner city areas of Sydney. The surveys found that these adolescents were largely homeless, had only tenuous connections to their families, feel isolated, lack formal education and basic skills, feel inadequate in every sphere of their life, hold unrealistic notions of the future, and use drugs and alcohol to escape their pain. Much as experimentation with fast cars and drugs has symbolized these youths' pushing of the limits and taking risks, sexual experimentation shows their desire for closeness and intimacy. However, studies also show that, although knowledge of appropriate safe sexual practices is quite high, the reported translation of that knowledge into practice was much more limited. The lack of immediacy in terms of showing HIV symptoms makes this self-destructive behavior seem less threatening to most young people. Interviews with HIV-positive young people indicate that separation and isolation can lead to situations in which HIV contamination can become inevitable and even desired. The author notes that any program designed to intervene with these young people must consist of a variety of people and styles. It must include contact with the family, housing, and suicide prevention, among other services. 14 references