HIV-Related Stigma Among African-American Youth in the Northeast and Southeast US

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jelani C. Kerr, University of Windsor; Robert F. Valois, University of South Carolina; Ralph Joseph Diclemente, Emory University; Faith Fletcher, University of Illinois; Michael P. Carey, Brown University; Daniel Romer, University of Pennsylvania; Peter A. Vanable, Syracuse University; Naomi Farber, University of South Carolina
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-06-01
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature): Springer Open Choice Hybrid Journals
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0687-6
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AIDS and Behavior
• ISSN: 1090-7165
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 1063
• End Page: 1067
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Mental Health Grant 1-UO1-MH066802; a collaborative project awarded to participating sites: Brown University-Rhode Island Hospital, Emory University, Syracuse University, University of South Carolina, and University of Pennsylvania-Annenberg Public Policy Center.
• Keywords: KNOWLEDGE; HIV; Social Sciences, Biomedical; Science & Technology; Stigma; HEALTH; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Biomedical Social Sciences; Regional differences; Social Sciences; BISEXUAL MEN; BEHAVIORS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; INTERVENTIONS; RISK; Adolescence; DISCRIMINATION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

HIV-related stigma inhibits optimal HIV prevention and treatment among African-Americans. Regional differences in HIV/AIDS prevalence may be related to stigma among young African-Americans. Baseline data (N = 1,606) from an HIV prevention intervention were used to investigate regional differences in HIV-related stigma and knowledge among African-American adolescents in four midsized cities in the Northeastern and Southeastern US. Analyses indicated greater HIV-related stigma among adolescents from the Southeast relative to adolescents from the Northeast (F = 22.23; p>0.0001). Linear regression indicated a negative relationship between HIV stigma and HIV knowledge (b = -0.65; p>0.0001). Addressing HIV/AIDS in high prevalence locales should include efforts to reduce HIV-related stigma.