The Multilevel Relationships of HIV-Related Stigma to Child and Caregiver Mental Health among HIV-Affected Households in South Africa.

The Multilevel Relationships of HIV-Related Stigma to Child and Caregiver Mental Health among HIV-Affected Households in South Africa. Am J Community Psychol. 2018 Oct 28;: Authors: Williams LD, Aber JL, SIZE Research Group Abstract HIV/AIDS-related (HAR) stigma is still a prevalent problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, and has been found to be related to mental health of HIV-positive individuals. However, no studies in the Sub-Saharan African context have yet examined the relationship between HAR stigma and mental health among HIV-negative, HIV-affected adults and families; nor have any studies in this context yet examined stigma as an ecological construct predicting mental health outcomes through supra-individual (setting level) and individual levels of influence. Multilevel modeling was used to examine multilevel, ecological relationships between HAR stigma and mental health among child and caregiver pairs from a systematic, community-representative sample of 508 HIV-affected households nested within 24 communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Two distinct dimensions of HAR stigma were measured: individual stigmatizing attitudes, and perceptions of community normative stigma. Findings suggest that individual-level HAR stigma significantly predicts individual mental health (depression and anxiety) among HIV-affected adults; and that community-level HAR stigma significantly predicts both individual-level mental health outcomes (anxiety)...
Source: American Journal of Community Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Am J Community Psychol Source Type: research