A method for the quantitative analysis of the layering of HIV-related stigma

Abstract

HIV-related stigma is regarded as one of the major barriers in the development of effective prevention and care programs; but the stigma associated with HIV stigma is not a singular entity. The stigma of the infection is layered with other stigmas, such as those associated with the routes of transmission (e.g., sex work and injecting drug use) and personal characteristics (e.g., race, religion, ethnicity and gender). In developing programs and policies to overcome HIV-related stigma, cognisance needs to be taken of all the sources of stigma, and how they may interact. A novel method is described for examining the layers of HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and secondary data are adapted to illustrate this. The importance of understanding the layering of stigma for the development of effective interventions is also discussed.

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the anonymous reviewers who contributed so insightfully to the final form of this paper. This work was part funded by a Ford Foundation grant to Deakin University. Daniel Reidpath was supported by a VicHealth Senior Research Fellowship. Dr Joe Thomas was a principal investigator of the Ford Foundation grant form.