HIV-related stigma and discrimination

HIV infection, once a life-threatening diagnosis, has transformed into a chronic and manageable condition. People living with HIV now have a life expectancy similar to that of the general population.

While significant progress has been made in managing HIV as a chronic condition, HIV-related stigma and discrimination can affect access to care, adherence to treatment, and overall health-related quality of life. HIV-related stigma and discrimination goes beyond HIV status alone; it intertwines with factors such as race, gender, sexual behaviour, drug use, incarceration, immigration status, and more. 

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)

To effectively address and combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination, it is imperative to employ accurate and reproducible assessment tools. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are self-reported assessments completed by patients, offering deep insights into their experiences and perceptions. In the context of HIV, PROMs serve as a critical tool for identifying individuals affected by stigma and discrimination, enabling tailored interventions to meet their specific needs.

Existing HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination PROMs

While several HIV-specific PROMs have been developed to evaluate stigma and discrimination in people living with HIV, their development occurred in diverse contexts, leading to significant variations in validation and psychometric properties. In addition to HIV-specific PROMs, generic stigma and discrimination PROMs have been introduced for people living with HIV.

Evaluating PROMs

Recognising the need for a systematic evaluation of these PROMs, a systematic review is underway which will adopt the COnsensus-based standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology. Findings of the review aim to guide the selection of PROMs for assessing HIV-related stigma and discrimination in both research and clinical practice.

By employing accurate and reliable PROMs, healthcare researchers and providers can make informed decisions, implement targeted interventions, and move one step closer to improving health equality and health-related quality of life for people living with HIV.

The systematic protocol is available in the September issue of JBI Evidence Synthesis.

Patient-reported outcome measures of stigma and discrimination for people living with HIV

Yang, Xianxia; Zhang, Yizhu; Han, Shuyu; Li, Ke; Zhang, Lili; Shao, Ying; Ma, Jianhong; Wang, Zhiwen

JBI Evidence Synthesis 21(9):p 1838-1846, September 2023. | DOI: 10.11124/JBIES-22-00314