Can social support mediate stigma and perceived stress in people live with human immunodeficiency virus?

Stigma has heavily impacted People Living with HIV (PLWH). Limited studies report on how social support affects HIV-related stigma and perceived stress, especially in Myanmar. During first seven months of 2020, a random sample of 248 eligible PLWH were contacted from a private, closed Facebook group...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS care 2024-02, Vol.36 (2), p.255-262
Main Authors: Chen, Wei-Ti, Huang, Feifei, Shiu, Cheng-Shi, Lin, Sai Htun, Tun, Min San, Nwe, Thet Wai, Oo, Yin Thet Nu, Oo, Htun Nyunt
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Demographic variables
Demography
HIV
HIV Infections
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Myanmar
perceived stress
Social interactions
Social Stigma
Social Support
Spirituality
Stigma
Stress
Stress, Psychological
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Summary:Stigma has heavily impacted People Living with HIV (PLWH). Limited studies report on how social support affects HIV-related stigma and perceived stress, especially in Myanmar. During first seven months of 2020, a random sample of 248 eligible PLWH were contacted from a private, closed Facebook group with more than 18,000 Myanmar people, where 90% of the members were PLWH. Variables collected included demographics data, perceived stress, social support, and HIV stigma. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables, the path from HIV stigma to perceived stress (direct effect β = 0.40) and though the mediation of social support was significant (indirect effect β = 0.014). However, the mediating effect of social support was non-significant between HIV stigma and perceived stress. This exploratory study shows that social support did not have the expected effect of decreasing perceived stress in PLWH in Myanmar. Interventions to reduce HIV stigma to decrease perceived stress should consider other strategies, e.g., spirituality-based practice, to reduce perceived stress in Myanmar PLWH.
ISSN:0954-0121
1360-0451
1360-0451
DOI:10.1080/09540121.2023.2254545