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HIV Stigmatizing Attitudes Among Men Accompanying Their Partners to Antenatal Care in Tanzania: A Mixed-Method Study

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Abstract

This mixed-method study aimed to describe HIV stigmatizing attitudes, identify factors associated with stigmatizing attitudes, and explore the broader context of HIV stigma among men accompanying their pregnant female partners to antenatal care in Tanzania. The study recruited 480 men who were attending a first antenatal care appointment with their pregnant female partners. Participants completed a structured survey; a subset of 16 men completed in-depth interviews. The majority of participants endorsed at least one of the stigmatizing attitudes; the most common attitude endorsed was the perception that HIV is a punishment for bad behaviour. In a multivariable logistic analysis, men were more likely to endorse stigmatizing attitudes if they were younger, less educated, Muslim, did not know anyone with HIV, or reported less social support. In the qualitative interviews, men discussed how HIV was antithetical to masculine identities related to respect, strength, independence, and emotional control. Future studies should develop and test interventions to address HIV stigmatizing attitudes among men, taking advantage of settings of routine HIV testing. These programs should be tailored to reflect masculine ideals that perpetuate stigma.

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Funding

This study was funded by a grant from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21TW011053. We also acknowledge support from NIH National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Grant R21 AI124344, NIH training grants (D43 TW009595, D43 TW010138), the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), and the Duke Center for AIDS Research (Grant No. P30 AI064518).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Godfrey A. Kisigo, Rimel N. Mwamba, Brandon A. Knettel, Michael V. Relf, Blandina T. Mmbaga & Melissa H. Watt

  2. Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Moshi, Tanzania

    Godfrey A. Kisigo & Blandina T. Mmbaga

  3. School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Brandon A. Knettel & Michael V. Relf

  4. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania

    James S. Ngocho & Blandina T. Mmbaga

  5. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania

    James S. Ngocho & Blandina T. Mmbaga

  6. Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA

    Melissa H. Watt

Authors
  1. Godfrey A. Kisigo
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  2. James S. Ngocho
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  3. Rimel N. Mwamba
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  4. Brandon A. Knettel
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  5. Michael V. Relf
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  6. Blandina T. Mmbaga
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  7. Melissa H. Watt
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Correspondence to Melissa H. Watt.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the ethical review boards at Duke University (Protocol D0371), University of Utah (Protocol 00127605), Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (No. 915), and the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol. IX/2882). All participants provided informed consent.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Kisigo, G.A., Ngocho, J.S., Mwamba, R.N. et al. HIV Stigmatizing Attitudes Among Men Accompanying Their Partners to Antenatal Care in Tanzania: A Mixed-Method Study. AIDS Behav 25, 3172–3182 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03264-2

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