Understanding the relationships among HIV/AIDS-related stigma, health service utilization, and HIV prevalence and incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-level theoretical perspective

Am J Community Psychol. 2014 Mar;53(1-2):146-58. doi: 10.1007/s10464-014-9628-4.

Abstract

HIV-positive individuals often face community-wide discrimination or public shame and humiliation as a result of their HIV-status. In Sub-Saharan Africa, high HIV incidence coupled with unique cultural contexts make HIV-positive individuals particularly likely to experience this kind of HIV/AIDS-related (HAR) stigma. To date, there is a relatively small amount of high-quality empirical literature specific to HAR stigma in this context, supporting the notion that a better understanding of this phenomenon is needed to inform potential interventions. This paper provides a thorough review of the literature specific to HAR stigma in Sub-Saharan Africa, finding (a) qualitative support for the existence of important relationships between HAR stigma and health service utilization and barriers; (b) a need for more quantitative study of stigma and its relationships both to health service utilization and to HIV outcomes directly; and (c) a disconnect between methodological techniques used in this context-specific literature and well-known theories about stigma as a general phenomenon. This paper then draws from its empirical literature review, as well as from well-known theoretical frameworks from multiple disciplines, to propose a theoretical framework for the ecological and multilevel relationships among HAR stigma, health service utilization, and HIV outcomes in this context.

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / epidemiology
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / psychology
  • Africa South of the Sahara / epidemiology
  • Attitude to Health*
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • HIV Infections / psychology
  • Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Multilevel Analysis
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Prevalence
  • Social Stigma*