Faith, fear, and disclosure: Exploring serodiscordant relationships in Indonesia's Muslim society

In Indonesia's Muslim society, serodiscordant couples navigate a complex web of faith, fear, and stigma. While HIV care efforts have advanced, understanding how religious beliefs and emotional responses shape disclosure remains limited.

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of serodiscordant couples in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a focus on how faith, fear, and gender roles influence HIV understanding and disclosure practices.

A qualitative, phenomenological approach was employed, involving 34 participants who participated in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted between February and May 2019. Data were thematically analyzed to capture emotional, cultural, and relational dimensions of HIV disclosure.

Two main themes emerged. (1) Faith and Fear: Navigating HIV Understanding, which includes knowledge of HIV, emotional responses to an HIV diagnosis, the role of religious teachings in shaping health decisions, and the fear of social exclusion; and (2) HIV Status Disclosure and Its Complexities, highlighting motivations for disclosure, barriers to openness, and the personal impact of revealing one's HIV status to a partner. Disclosure was often delayed or mediated by third parties, driven by fear of rejection, shame, and limited communication skills.

The findings revealed the dual role of faith as both a support and a barrier, and the complex interplay of gender dynamics in disclosure decisions. Community nurses in Indonesia's primary health care settings should then play a critical role in HIV prevention by providing culturally sensitive, Islamic-faith-based counseling, gender-responsive disclosure support, and collaboration with peer support groups to foster trust, reduce stigma, and improve adherence.