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The Impact of Perceptions of Community Stigma on Utilization of HIV Care Services

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Abstract

The relationship between perceived community stigma and treatment adherence has been established in previous literature. Yet, less is known about explicit circumstances in which perceived community stigma deters people living with HIV (PLWH) from maintaining care. This research examines the impact of perceived community stigma against PLWH on self-reported barriers and supports to remain in HIV care services. We used survey data from a 3-year study of the HIV test and treat (T&T) continuum of services in Hartford, CT, surveying 200 PLWH. Logistic regression was used to determine if perceived community stigma had a statistically significant effect on the willingness of PLWH to utilize HIV care services. Results revealed that an increase in perceived stigma predicted willingness to see a doctor in 6 months for those who ‘had a fear of poor treatment’ (χ2(6) = 21.995, p < 0.001) and ‘were concerned about privacy’ (χ2(6) = 16.670, p < 0.01). An increase in perceived stigma was also a significant factor in the belief that supportive case managers helped with accessing HIV care services (χ2(1) = 6.817, p < 0.01). Our findings suggest that having a high degree of perceived community stigma is impactful in instances where individuals anticipate stigma or discrimination.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of additional members of the project’s research team, including David Lounsbury, Gary Hirsch, Maryann Abbott, Emily Baert, and Matthew Hartman. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01MH103176 and R21MH110335.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Community Research, 2 Hartford Sq. W., Ste. 100, Hartford, CT, 06106, USA

    Helena Danielle Green, Margaret R. Weeks, Marcie Berman, Apoorva Salvi, Rosely Gonzalez, Lucy Rohena & Jianghong Li

  2. HRA of New Britain, Inc., New Britain, CT, USA

    Alice Ferguson

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  1. Helena Danielle Green
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  2. Margaret R. Weeks
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Correspondence to Helena Danielle Green.

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“All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institute for Community Research Institutional Review Board (IRB# 2014-01) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.”

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Green, H.D., Weeks, M.R., Berman, M. et al. The Impact of Perceptions of Community Stigma on Utilization of HIV Care Services. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 7, 383–391 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00667-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00667-9

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