Exploring HIV Stigma and Quality of Life for Persons Living With HIV Infection

• Published in: The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 161 - 168
• Main Authors: Holzemer, William L., Human, Sarie, Arudo, John, Rosa, María E., Hamilton, Mary Jane, Corless, Inge, Robinson, Linda, Nicholas, Patrice K., Wantland, Dean J., Moezzi, Shahnaz, Willard, Suzanne, Kirksey, Kenn, Portillo, Carmen, Sefcik, Elizabeth, Rivero-Méndez, Marta, Maryland, Mary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2009; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Demographics; Demography; Female; HIV; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nursing; Quality of Life; Stereotyping; stigma; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; AIDS; stigma; HIV; quality of life
• ISSN: 1055-3290; 1552-6917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jana.2009.02.002

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential contribution of perceived HIV stigma to quality of life for people living with HIV infection. A cross-sectional design explored the contribution of demographic variables, symptoms, and stigma to quality of life in an international sample of 726 people living with HIV infection. Stigma independently contributed a significant 5.3% of the explained variance in quality of life, after removing contributions of HIV-related symptoms and severity of illness. This study empirically documents that perceived HIV stigma had a significantly negative impact upon quality of life for a broad sample of people living with HIV infection.