Objective:

To understand social representations of health professionals about groups of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Methodology:

This is a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study and of social representations theory. Seven specialized care services and one testing and guidance center of the capital of a state in Northeastern Brazil were selected as study setting. The sample was composed by forty-five health professionals. Data were collected between December 2012 and May 2013 by means of a semi-structured interview guide. The theme/category-based content analysis was carried out using QSR NVívo 9.0.

Results:

The following thematic categories emerged from the study: Homosexual and deviant sexualities; Child and adolescent: inheritance of vertical transmission; Woman and the feminization of virus; Elderly: the maintenance of sexuality and transmission risk; and The poor and pauperization process of the disease. It was noted that there were transformations in social representations of health professionals about the groups of people living with HIV/AIDS, as a result of which gender and sexuality, social class, and age group regarded as critical factors of vulnerability.

Conclusions:

The problems associated with a gender conflicts/discussions about gender, deviant sexualities, and sexual and reproductive rights need to be included in continuing education and training of health professionals. The condition of vulnerability among children, adolescents and heterosexual women is not yet understood in a way that favors attitudes of emotional support for coping.

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