Gender differences in HIV disclosure, stigma, and perceptions of health.
AIDS Care
; 26(11): 1419-25, 2014.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24921155
ABSTRACT
HIV disclosure is a gateway to HIV prevention - particularly among couples living in regions severely affected by the HIV epidemic. This cross-sectional study utilizes data collected from 862 people living with HIV across three countries (Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Uganda) in 2011 to determine the role of partner disclosure on self-reported health perceptions and changes in sexual risk behavior. The study's secondary aims are to understand whether or not internalized stigma mediates this relationship and if there is a different pattern of results by gender. The multivariate analysis reveals that the three key HIV-related independent variables, belonging to a support group, doing volunteer work, and disclosing to one's spouse or partner, were significantly associated with lower levels of internalized stigma. Internalized stigma was associated with self-perceptions of poorer health for both women and men, with women reporting higher levels of internalized stigma than men. Disclosure to spouse was positively associated with perceptions of better health for women but not for men. For men, doing HIV-related volunteer work and disclosing their status to their spouse were positively associated with self-reported changes in sexual risk behavior, although stigma was not found to mediate this relationship. Findings from this study suggest that disclosure and stigma have gender-specific effects on individual well-being and changes in sexual risk behaviors. As such, programs must address gender inequity in disclosure patterns and stigma to enhance prevention efforts.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sexual Behavior
/
Truth Disclosure
/
Sexual Partners
/
HIV Infections
/
Health Status
/
Social Stigma
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Patient_preference
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
AIDS Care
Journal subject:
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Year:
2014
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States