Perceived stigma, mental health and unsafe sexual behaviors of people living with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship among perceived stigma, mental health and unsafe sexual behaviors of people living with HIV/AIDS.

METHODS

Cross-sectional research was used to interview people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) from April 2012 to March 2013 in Changsha, China. The questionnaires included General Questionnaire, Sexual Behavior Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Psychometric Assessment of the HIV Stigma Scale. The results were statistically analyzed with SPSS18.0.

RESULTS

The total score of perceived stigma and its 4 dimensions were positively correlated with anxiety and depression. The total score of perceived stigma and its dimensions were associated with disclosure, but no significantly correlated with other sexual behaviors. Hierarchical regression showed perceived stigma had an effect on anxiety.

CONCLUSION

The stigma perceived by PLWHA is above the average level. Perceived stigma has an effect on mental health, especially anxiety, but no effect on unsafe sexual behaviors.