The association of perceived, internalized, and enacted HIV stigma with medication adherence, barriers to adherence, and mental health among young people living with HIV in Zambia.
Rainier Masa, Mathias Zimba, Mohit Tamta, Gilbert Zimba, Graham Zulu
Abstract
= 120) were purposively sampled from two health facilities in Eastern Province, Zambia, and completed self-report measures. Results indicated heterogeneous associations. Internalized HIV stigma was positively associated with depression and negatively associated with adherence, adherence motivation, behavioral adherence skills, and self-esteem. Perceived stigma was negatively associated with self-esteem. No significant association was observed between enacted stigma and health outcomes. The complexity of HIV stigma requires a precise explication of the associations among different HIV stigma experiences and outcomes, which can inform the development of stigma reduction interventions targeting one or more stigma experiences.