HIV/AIDS as an object of Social Representations: a bibliometric study

Abstract

Objective: Map scientific production on HIV/Aids as an object of Social Representations.

Methodology: This is a bibliometric research carried out in the ISI Web of Knowledge/Web of Science, in the temporal cut between the years 1989 and 2015, using the following search strategy: ("social representation*â€) and (HIV) or ("social representation*â€) and (Aids). The data were analyzed considering the annual evolution of the publications; the journals with the greatest number of records; the authors with more publications; the articles with the greatest impact and the institutions with the greatest number of publications.

Results: There are 122 articles published in 74 different journals. These articles were written by 301 authors of 165 Institutions of Higher Education in 34 countries. The 18 articles with the greatest impact were published in the period from 1996 to 2011. The Theory of Social Representations was used in the studies to seek the representation of the phenomenon by different groups. It is a theoretical methodological reference used in several areas of knowledge to know the created and transformed subjectivities about HIV / Aids. These studies can serve as subsidy for the adoption of preventive practices from the perspective of social being with focus on actions.

Conclusion: The Theory of Social Representations is well applied in HIV/Aids investigations, in several academic spaces distributed throughout the world with emphasis on the United Kingdom, United States of America and Brazil, and has contributed to the development of knowledge on the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids and implementation of effective public policies around the world.

Keywords: Social Psychology. HIV. AIDS.