One Year After ART Initiation: Psychosocial Factors Associated with Stigma Among HIV-Positive Mozambicans

The pathways through which stigma is associated with psychological distress remains understudied in Africa. This study evaluates stigma among 277 Mozambicans who were on an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens for a full year. Using bivariate and multiple regression analyses, we examine psychosocia...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS and behavior 2009-12, Vol.13 (6), p.1189-1196
Main Authors: Pearson, C. R., Micek, M. A., Pfeiffer, J., Montoya, P., Matediane, E., Jonasse, T., Cunguara, A., Rao, D., Gloyd, S. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
AIDS
Antiretroviral agents
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - psychology
Disclosure
Drug therapy
Female
Health Psychology
HIV
HIV Infections - diagnosis
HIV Infections - drug therapy
HIV Infections - psychology
HIV-1
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Infectious Diseases
Loneliness
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental depression
Middle Aged
Mozambique
Original Paper
Prejudice
Psychological aspects
Psychological Distress
Psychosocial Deprivation
Psychosocial Factors
Public Health
Quantitative psychology
Regression Analysis
Self Concept
Self Disclosure
Social support
Stereotyping
Stigma
Surveys and Questionnaires
Treatment Outcomes
Treatment Programs
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The pathways through which stigma is associated with psychological distress remains understudied in Africa. This study evaluates stigma among 277 Mozambicans who were on an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens for a full year. Using bivariate and multiple regression analyses, we examine psychosocial factors (disclosure decisions, perceived social support, and depression) associated with stigma, at ART initiation and 1 year later. We found 1 year after initiating ART, participants reported no change in stigma, a decrease in perceived social support, and an increase in depressive symptomology. Disclosing HIV status to friends (versus family or partner) was associated with lower levels of stigma. These findings suggest that HIV care in comparable settings should include counselling, support groups, and peer support, that includes stigma and disclosure concerns prior to and during the first year following diagnosis. Most importantly, assessment and treatment of depression should be incorporated into ongoing HIV care.
ISSN:1090-7165
1573-3254
DOI:10.1007/s10461-009-9596-0