Stigma and Spiritual Well-being among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Appalachia.

Stigma and Spiritual Well-being among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Appalachia.
Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2018 Feb 15;:1-8
Authors: Hutson SP, Darlington CK, Hall JM, Heidel RE, Gaskins S
Abstract
The Appalachian South is disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Partly due to the negative connotation that this disease carries in religiously conservative areas, HIV-related stigma remains a critical barrier to HIV care in the South. However, spirituality is a well-documented, effective coping mechanism among persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between HIV-related stigma and spiritual well-being among a sample of PLWH (n = 216) in Appalachian counties of Tennessee and Alabama using the HIV Stigma Scale and the Spiritual Well-being Scale. Overall, disclosure of HIV status was the most highly reported stigma concern. Women reported higher levels of stigma and religious well-being than men. While existential well-being was negatively correlated with stigma, no significant overall correlation was found between religious well-being and stigma. Our findings reveal the importance of defining theology and differentiating between cultural religious conditioning and internalized beliefs.
PMID: 29446661 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Issues in Mental Health Nursing - February 17, 2018 Category: Nursing Tags: Issues Ment Health Nurs Source Type: research