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Theory-Driven, Multi-Stage Process to Develop a Culturally-Informed Anti-Stigma Intervention for Pregnant Women Living with HIV in Botswana.
Poku, Ohemaa B; Becker, Timothy D; Rampa, Shathani; Misra, Supriya; Ho-Foster, Ari R; Entaile, Patlo; Tay, Charisse; Choe, Karen; Arscott-Mills, Tonya; Blank, Michael B; Opondo, Philip Renison; Yang, Lawrence H.
Affiliation
  • Poku OB; HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health Columbia University & the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States.
  • Becker TD; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
  • Rampa S; University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
  • Misra S; Department of Public Health, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, United States.
  • Ho-Foster AR; Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
  • Entaile P; Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana.
  • Tay C; Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.
  • Choe K; New York University, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.
  • Arscott-Mills T; Department of Pediatrics, Levine Children's Hospital, Charlotte, NC, United States.
  • Blank MB; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
  • Opondo PR; University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
  • Yang LH; New York University, New York, NY, United States, Columbia University Mailman, School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States.
Int J MCH AIDS ; 11(2): e569, 2022.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36320928
ABSTRACT
Background and

Objectives:

Despite a well-established universal HIV diagnosis and treatment program, Botswana continues to face a high HIV prevalence, in large part due to persistent stigma, which particularly affects pregnant women and interferes with healthcare engagement. Tackling stigma as a fundamental cause of HIV disparities is an important but understudied aspect of current HIV interventions. Our multinational and multicultural team used a theory-driven, multi-stage iterative process to develop measures and interventions to first identify and then target the most culturally-salient aspects of stigma for mothers living with HIV in Botswana. This methodology report examines the stage-by-stage application of the "What Matters Most" (WMM) theory and lessons learned, sharing a replicable template for developing culturally-shaped anti-stigma interventions.

Methods:

First, we conducted initial qualitative work based on the WMM theory to identify key structural and cultural factors shaping stigma for women living with HIV in Botswana. Second, we developed a psychometrically validated scale measuring how "what matters most" contributes to and protects against stigma for this population. Third, we designed an anti-stigma intervention, "Mothers Moving towards Empowerment" (MME), centered on the local values identified using WMM theory that underly empowerment and motherhood by adapting a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-informed, group-based, and peer-co-led anti-stigma intervention specifically for pregnant women living with HIV. Fourth, we conducted a pilot study of MME in which participants were allocated to two trial arms intervention or treatment-as-usual control.

Results:

Our qualitative research identified that bearing and caring for children are capabilities essential to the concept of respected womanhood, which can be threatened by a real or perceived HIV diagnosis. These values informed the development and validation of a scale to measure these culturally-salient aspects of stigma for women living with HIV in Botswana. These findings further informed our intervention adaptation and pilot evaluation, in which the intervention group showed significant decreases in HIV stigma and depressive symptoms compared to the control group. Participants reported overcoming reluctance to disclose their HIV status to family, leading to improved social support. Conclusion and Global Health Implications Previous studies have not utilized culturally-based approaches to assess, resist, and intervene with HIV-related stigma. By applying WMM in each stage, we identified cultural and gendered differences that enabled participants to resist HIV stigma. Focusing on these capabilities that enable full personhood, we developed an effective culturally-tailored anti-stigma intervention for pregnant women living with HIV in Botswana. This theory-driven, multi-stage approach can be replicated to achieve stigma reduction for other outcomes, populations, and contexts.
Key words

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic_studies / Qualitative_research / Risk_factors_studies Language: En Journal: Int J MCH AIDS Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country:

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic_studies / Qualitative_research / Risk_factors_studies Language: En Journal: Int J MCH AIDS Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country: