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HIV-related stigma, disclosure and social support

Experiences among young pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID19444302
AuthorsKirsty Brittain (0000-0003-3940-1242, University of Cape Town, corresponding author), Yolanda Gomba (0000-0002-1866-058X, University of Cape Town), Sandisiwe Noholoza (0009-0007-7018-7738, University of Cape Town), Jennifer A Pellowski (0000-0003-3316-4135, Department of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA), Jennifer Pellowski, Claude Ann Mellins (0000-0002-1978-7638, HIV Center for Clinical & Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA), Linda-Gail Bekker (0000-0002-0755-4386, University of Cape Town), Ashraf Kagee (0000-0003-1241-2566, Stellenbosch University), Robert H Remien (0000-0002-3963-3273, HIV Center for Clinical & Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA), Elaine J Abrams (0000-0001-7938-8981, ICAP at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA), Landon Myers (0000-0002-8106-7658, University of Cape Town)
Year2023
Volume35
Issue3
Pages399-405
Publication date2023-03-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540121.2022.2121957
PMID36102063
OpenAlexW4295752809
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited32

Young pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (WLHIV) are at high risk of poor antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes, which may be driven partly by HIV-related stigma. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 pregnant and postpartum WLHIV aged 19–24 years to understand how different forms of HIV-related stigma manifest in their lives, as well as their experiences of HIV-status disclosure and social support. Participants described profound levels of perceived stigma in their community, including gossip from other young women and judgement from older adults. Consequently, participants disclosed to a limited number of people to avoid being stigmatised, and disclosure to peers was especially uncommon. However, disclosure in certain situations was described as leading to emotional support and support for ART adherence, and disclosure to older WLHIV resulted in participants having a role model. Finally, participants expressed varied ways in which they accept, speak about, and live with their HIV diagnosis. These data provide a rich understanding of the experiences of HIV-related stigma in this population and point to the need for psychosocial interventions focussed on acceptance and coping with an HIV-positive diagnosis despite profound levels of perceived stigma, as well as navigating decisions around the targets and timing of disclosure.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04036851

Environmental health · Family medicine · Population · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychosocial · Social support · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Clinical Psychology · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works9
Citations per year4,5
Citation span2024 - 2026 (3)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 8
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