Table 1.

Focus group findings on the barriers to HIV disclosure

Barriers	Samples quotes
Perceived stigma	‘I was afraid to disclose my HIV status to my neighbors because I saw what happened with Khun GG who is HIV-positive in our village. He was stigmatized by others when they found out he was positive.’ (Female PLH, 34 years old)
	‘One of my neighbors got infected and passed away. There was another guy in my village, he got infected and died as well. People in my village talked about the disease and dared not to talk to them or their families. So I decided to keep it private because I was afraid that people in my village would treat me like the others with AIDS.’ (Female PLH, 28 years old)
Shame	‘At that time we had very little understanding about the disease and I didn’t dare join the support group because I was scared and ashamed … I was a bus driver at that time and I was not sure whether passengers would be disgusted with me or dared to get into the bus.’ (Male PLH, 36 years old)
	‘When I was pregnant with second child, I found out that I was infected. I dared not disclose my status to my siblings because I was afraid that they might be disgusted at me. I kept it private for a long time.’ (Female PLH, 32 years old)
	‘I was ashamed of myself. My parents come from a good family. I didn’t dare tell them that I got infected. It would be a disgrace to my parents and my family. My parents still had good jobs and I feared that they’d get fired if their company found out their daughter has AIDS. I didn’t think they’d understand.’ (Female PLH, 37 years old)
Fear of rejection and disapproval	‘After the test, I never thought of telling anyone. I thought after I delivered my baby, I would separate from my family, either to become a nun or go somewhere away from other people. I didn’t want to stay here. I was afraid that my siblings would disapprove me and reject me because of my sickness.’ (Female PLH 36 years old)
	‘I was afraid that others will reject me. I still worked and needed to interact with others. I needed to have friends. If they felt repulsed by my infection, I will be hurt. I couldn’t face it. Even my younger brother, when he found out, he didn’t allow me to carry his child. You see? Even my own brother treated me this way. Both he and his wife got bachelor’s degrees. He told my mom to tell me not to hold his child any more.’ (Female PLH, 29 years old)
	‘I have seen how others treat someone with AIDS. I have many friends but I didn’t know who to tell. Sometimes, you don’t know how your friends would react to things like this. I was afraid of negative things. I couldn’t face it. So I decided to not tell anyone. But I got sick. My parents found out from the doctor. Now, many of my friends also know. But I never told them directly. But they knew.’ (Male PLH, 35 years old)