Sexual health knowledge and stigma in a community sample of HIV-positive gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are at increased risk for HIV infection and disease progression. Also, HIV-positive GBMSM are among those less likely to be retained in care. In this study we analyzed sexual health knowledge (SHK) and various manifestations of stigma in a community sample of HIV-positive GBMSM in Puerto Rico. The sample reports overall low SHK scores, and lower scores were associated with low educational attainment, unemployment, low income, and with self-identifying heterosexual participants. Almost half of the sample reported moderate to severe perceived gay stigma, 68.4% reported moderate to severe hidden-gay stigma, and 30.6% reported moderate to severe HIV-felt stigma. Further research is recommended to obtain culturally congruent information and develop interventions addressing the multiple layers of stigma in the social context where the interventions will be delivered.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• MSM
• Puerto Rico
• sexual health knowledge
• stigma

Acknowledgments

We thank the men who participated in the study, community collaborators, and graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Puerto Rico who supported data collection.