Knowledge and HIV-Related Stigmatizing Attitudes Among Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background

Healthcare workers are central to the care of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), yet their own stigmatizing attitudes can undermine it. This cross-sectional study assessed HIV/AIDS knowledge and stigmatizing attitudes toward PLHIV among healthcare workers and the factors associated with stigma.

Methods

All physicians and nurses employed at three public hospitals in Mersin, Turkey (N = 2230), were invited to participate; because participation was voluntary and anonymous, the analysed sample was self-selected and is best characterised as a convenience sample. Data were collected over 45 days using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire hosted on an online survey platform, comprising a 10-item HIV/AIDS knowledge questionnaire adapted from a previously used instrument and the Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS; Turkish version), which measures stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice. Associations were examined using group comparisons, correlations, and multivariable linear regression.

Results

Among 460 participants (median age 35.0 years, IQR 31.0-44.0; 63.5% female; response rate 21.7%), knowledge assessment scores were not associated with any stigma subdimension; instead, older age, being married, and greater professional experience were associated with higher stereotyping and discrimination, with age and experience remaining significant after multivariable adjustment (p < 0.05). Notably, 81.1% felt they would need to inform other staff when encountering a PLHIV, which may raise confidentiality concerns; 67.4% believed HIV is mostly acquired through risky behaviours, and only 69.1% were comfortable working with an HIV-positive colleague.

Conclusions

Stigmatizing attitudes were common and were associated with age and professional experience rather than with knowledge assessment scores. These findings generate the hypothesis that interventions addressing the attitudinal and professional-culture dimensions of stigma-particularly among more senior staff-may be more effective than information provision alone. Because the design was cross-sectional and the knowledge questionnaire had limited validity evidence, longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to test this hypothesis.