Burden of HIV-related stigma and associated factors among women living with depression accessing PMTCT services in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

HIV-related stigma represents a potent risk factor for a range of poor health outcomes, including mental health symptoms, treatment non-adherence, and substance use. Understanding the role of HIV-related stigma in promoting healthcare outcomes is critical for vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women living with HIV, in contexts with continued high rates of HIV and associated stigma, such as sub-Saharan Africa. The current study examined a range of risk and protective factors for HIV-related stigma with 742 pregnant women (M age = 29.6 years) living with depression and HIV accessing prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Risk factors included depressive symptoms, ART non-adherence, intimate partner violence, food insecurity, and alcohol problems. Protective factors included disclosure of HIV status, social support, an appreciative relationship with their partner, hope, and self-efficacy. Findings highlight key psychosocial and behavioral determinants of HIV-related stigma for pregnant women living with HIV in Tanzania, and can inform perinatal care programming and interventions to optimize mental health and adherence outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• AIDS
• sub-Saharan Africa
• Tanzania
• stigma
• pregnancy
• global mental health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health [grant number R01-MH100338]. The funders of this study had no input on the scientific content of the paper.