Social stigma and its determinants among people living with HIV/AIDS: A cross-sectional study at ART center in North India

Soumya S Sahoo; Pardeep Khanna; Ramesh Verma; Madhur Verma; Sandeep Mahapatra; Pragyan P Parija; Udit K Panda

doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_981_20

Social stigma and its determinants among people living with HIV/AIDS: A cross-sectional study at ART center in North India

J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Nov 30;9(11):5646-5651. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_981_20. eCollection 2020 Nov.

Authors

Soumya S Sahoo¹, Pardeep Khanna², Ramesh Verma², Madhur Verma¹, Sandeep Mahapatra³, Pragyan P Parija⁴, Udit K Panda⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community and Family Medicine, AIIMS, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
² Department of Community Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Studies (PGIMS), Rohtak, Haryana, India.
³ Associate Epidemiologist, Decision Resources Group (DRG), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
⁴ Department of Community and Family Medicine, AIIMS, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.
⁵ Post Doctoral Fellow, Addiction Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Abstract

Introduction: HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination together have long been recognized as one of the main obstacles in the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV and AIDS. Yet, little has been done on a large scale to combat them. Stigma still precludes many in need of treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). The purpose of this study was to assess the social stigma among PLHIV and the factors influencing it.

Material and methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among four hundred PLHIV attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) center of a tertiary care institute of Haryana, India, using a semi-structured questionnaire and Berger Stigma Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0 software to explore the relationship between a dependent (social stigma score) and other independent variables.

Results: The overall mean stigma score in our study was found to be 110.96 ± 17.05. The stigma score in the male PLHIV was higher than in females. Male gender, younger age group (18-25 years), nuclear family, and rural residents PLHIV experienced more stigma as showed by the logistic regression analysis.

Conclusion: Stigma and discrimination are a continuous deterrent for program implementation or successful outcomes. Education, behavior change strategies, and building supportive environments to the targeted population (young, single, and rural residents) can provide a roadmap in ending stigma and discrimination.

Keywords: Discrimination; HIV; PLHIV; stigma.