Age, Stigma, Adherence and Clinical Indicators in HIV-Infected Women.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Katryna McCoy, University of Washington Bothell; Melinda K Higgins, Emory University; Julie Ann Zuñiga, The University of Texas at Austin; Marcia McDonnell Holstad, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015
• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 McCoy K.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.17140/HARTOJ-SE-3-101
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: HIV/AIDS research and treatment: open journal
• ISSN: 2377-8377
• Volume: 2015
• Issue: SE3
• Start Page: S1
• End Page: S8
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported in part by grants from The National Institutes of Health (NINR grant # R01NR008094: M. Holstad, PI; NINR grant # T32NR012715: S. Dunbar, PI), & the Emory Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI050409).
• Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy; Women; HIV; Stigma; Adherence; Aging
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Nursing

Abstract

Stigma has become a gendered phenomenon that affects increasing numbers of HIV-infected women worldwide. This study examined the role of age as a possible moderator of the relationship between stigma and antiretroviral therapy adherence, CD4% and viral load among 120 HIV-infected women. A secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Keeping Healthy and Active with Risk Reduction and Medication Adherence (KHARMA) Project, an National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded randomized controlled trial to improve Antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence and reduce risky behaviors in HIV-infected women at five clinical sites in a South-eastern city from 2005 to 2008. Stigma was measured using the Perceived Personal Stigma of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) scale. Among participants <50 years old (n=90), age was significantly associated with viral load (rho=-.24, p=.02) and stigma was negatively associated with CD4% (r =-.26, p=.02). For the 30 participants >50 years old, age was not significantly associated with viral load, stigma or CD4%, and there was no significant association between stigma and CD4% (r=.07, p=.70). These findings indicate the need for further study regarding this potential moderating effect and possible interventions to address the susceptibility of younger women to the harmful effects of stigma.