What is it about?
The current study examined the impact of HIV felt stigma (i.e. fear of stigmatization) on overall health and success of HIV prevention behaviors among 370 participants living with HIV and receiving care at an urban HIV clinic in Kenya. Results indicate that a quarter of the studied participants who reported experiencing high levels of felt stigma related to other people's attitudes toward their condition, ostracizing, and a disruption of their personal life, were likely to not adhere to prescribed HIV medication and not disclose their HIV serostatus to one other person. Participants who also experienced felt stigma related to a disruption of their personal lives while mediated by depression were likely to report poor overall health.
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Why is it important?
Generally, an initial diagnosis of HIV is likely to be correlated with the onset of HIV stigma with HIV-positive individuals being likely to internalize stigma, suffer from psychosocial issues, or engage in maladaptive behaviors to cope with the diagnosis. Internalized stigma derives from felt stigma (i.e. fear of stigmatization).
Perspectives
There is the need for HIV clinics and interventions to come up with relevant HIV prevention strategies. Such strategies ought to focus on the emerging dimensions of fear of stigmatization capable of significantly influencing the disclosure of medication adherence, serostatus, and patients’ overall health.
Distinguished Professor Samuel Gyasi Obeng
Indiana University System
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Impact of Internalized Stigma on HIV Prevention Behaviors Among HIV-Infected Individuals Seeking HIV Care in Kenya, AIDS Patient Care and STDs, December 2012, Mary Ann Liebert Inc,
DOI: 10.1089/apc.2012.0258.
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