Applying a stigma and time framework to facilitate equitable access to hepatitis C care among women who inject drugs: The ETHOS Engage Study.

BACKGROUND

Women who inject drugs are significantly less likely to initiate hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment than men. Concerted efforts are needed to minimise gender-based inequalities in care. The study aim was to use a stigma and time framework to investigate how women who inject drugs experienced HCV care in healthcare settings.

METHODS

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 participants from the ETHOS Engage Cohort (n = 1,443) in Australia. Inclusion criteria were aged ≥18 years, history of injection drug use, and persons who injected in the prior six months or were currently receiving opioid agonist treatment. Drawing on the original qualitative dataset (n = 34), we conducted a secondary analysis focused on women participants' experiences of receiving HCV related care (n = 21/34). Utilising thematic analysis, we applied Earnshaw's theoretical framework, which incorporates time into stigma and health research via three "timescales" - historical context, human development, and status course.

RESULTS

Among the 21 women interviewed (mean age 42 years, 5 are Aboriginal, 11 received HCV treatment), the majority were currently receiving opioid agonist treatment and over half injected drugs in the past month. For historical context, most participants were diagnosed with HCV during the interferon era (1990s-2014). Participants had to navigate a sociomedical landscape not only largely bereft of adequate HCV medical knowledge, appropriate support, and adequate treatments, but were also generally assessed as "unsuitable" for treatment based on their perceived personhood as people who inject drugs. For human development, many participants reported encountering overlapping stigmatizing experiences (layered stigma) while receiving their HCV diagnosis in prenatal care and early postpartum. Under status course, participants acutely recognised the intersection of HCV infection, injection drug use, and gender, and reported concerns about being judged more harshly from healthcare providers as a result.

CONCLUSION

A stigma and time framework illuminated multiple overlapping stigmatizing experiences for women who inject drugs in HCV care and in turn, can help to inform tools and interventions to counter their impact.