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Abstract
This analysis used data from a randomly selected cross-sectional sample of HIV infected outpatient adults in New York City to assess HIV-related stigma and examine gender-specific differences among factors associated with HIV-related stigma. Data was collected by conducting participant interviews and medical records abstraction. HIV-related stigma was assessed using the internalized AIDS-related stigma scale (IA-RSS). Exploratory factor analysis of the IA-RSS indicated that the scale consisted of two factors: (1) internalized stigma and (2) anticipated stigma. Of the 447 sampled participants 23.9% had a higher level of internalized stigma and 38.3% had a higher level of anticipated stigma. Multivariate analysis indicated that among females, internalized stigma was associated with being diagnosed HIV positive after the introduction of HAART in 1996 (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.1; P < 0.01) and a diagnosis of depression (adjusted PR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.9; P < 0.01). Among males, anticipated stigma was associated with younger age (18 and 39 years) (adjusted PR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3, 2.2; P < 0.001) and use of non-injection drugs (adjusted PR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.86; P < 0.01). Findings suggest that there may be gender-specific differences among factors associated with different dimensions of HIV-related stigma.
Acknowledgments
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors would like to thank the data management and data collection team of the NYC MMP 2012–2013 cycle for all their efforts.
Disclosure statement
No competing financial interests exist.