Prevalence of HIV-related stigma in adults living with HIV & disability in Florida, 2015–2016

ABSTRACT

Using data collected from the Florida Medical Monitoring Project, we sought to compare the prevalence of overall HIV-related stigma, including its subdimensions among persons with HIV and disability(s) and persons with HIV without disability in Florida. Disability was classified as having difficulty in one or more areas: activity limitations, participation restrictions, and functional or sensory activities. HIV-related stigma was assessed using the HIV Stigma Scale, which measures (1) overall stigma (2) negative self-image, (3) personalized, and (4) anticipated stigma. Multivariate analysis indicates that the crude prevalence ratios of overall stigma, including negative self-image, personalized, and anticipated stigma among persons with HIV and disability(s) were 1.43, 1.24, 1.20, and 1.23 compared to persons with HIV without disability, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the prevalence ratios of HIV-related stigma ranged from 1.33–1.07 among persons with HIV and disability(s) compared to persons with HIV without disability. The implications of these findings reveal that persons with HIV and disability(s) are more vulnerable to HIV-related stigma. Researchers could consider distinct stigma interventions tailored towards persons with HIV and disability(s) in Florida.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• disability
• HIV-related stigma
• personalized stigma
• anticipated stigma
• negative self-image stigma
• medical monitoring project

Acknowledgments

The authors want to thank the Florida Department of Health HIV/AIDS Section for data collection as well as their contributions and collaboration on this project AWD04074. We also acknowledge the contributions of the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC), the University of Florida Translational Science Training to Reduce the Impact of Alcohol on HIV Infection (T32AA025877), and the University of Miami Multidisciplinary Training in Substance Abuse Research grant (5T32DA045734-02) for their contributions and collaboration on this project.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Florida Department of Health, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are however available with permission of the Florida Department of Health.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Florida Department of Health HIV/AIDS Section (grant number AWD04074).