Discrimination and adherence in a cross-sectional study of Latino sexual minority men with HIV: Coping with discrimination as a mediator and coping self-efficacy as a moderator

We examined the potential for coping to mediate the associations between intersectional discrimination and non-adherence and coping self-efficacy (confidence in one ’s ability to cope with discrimination) as a moderator that may buffer the negative effects of discrimination on non-adherence in a cross-sectional convenience sample of 82 Latino sexual minority men with HIV. In bivariate linear regressions, discrimination targeting Latino ethnic origin, undocume nted residency status, and sexual orientation were each significantly associated with lower self-reported antiretroviral therapy non-adherence (percentage of prescribed doses taken in the last month) and greater use of disengagement coping (denial, substance use, venting, self-blame, behavioral dise ngagement). Associations between discrimination targeting Latino ethnicity and non-adherence, and discrimination targeting undocumented residency status and non-adherence, were each mediated by disengagement coping responses. Moderation analyses highlighted significant discrimination by coping self- efficacy interaction effects—both coping self-efficacy for problem solving and stopping unpleasant emotions/thoughts each moderated the associations between Latino discrimination and adherence, between undocumented residency status discrimination and adherence, and between HIV discrimination and a dherence. Coping self-efficacy for getting social support moderated the association between undocumented residency status discrimin...
Source: Journal of Behavioral Medicine - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research