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HIV Interventions to Reduce HIV/AIDS Stigma: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

We reviewed the literature to determine the effectiveness of HIV-related interventions in reducing HIV/AIDS stigma. Studies selected had randomized controlled trial (RCT), pretest–posttest with a non-randomized control group, or pretest–posttest one group study designs in which HIV-related interventions were being evaluated, and in which HIV/AIDS stigma was one of the outcomes being measured. A checklist was used to extract data from accepted studies, assess their internal validity, and overall quality. Data were extracted from 19 studies, and 14 of these studies demonstrated effectiveness in reducing HIV/AIDS stigma. Only 2 of these 14 effective studies were considered good studies, based on quality, the extent to which the intervention focused on reducing HIV/AIDS stigma, and the statistics reported to demonstrate effectiveness. Future studies to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma could improve by designing interventions that pay greater attention to internal validity, use validated HIV/AIDS stigma instruments, and achieve both statistical and public health significance.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, Grant #R01NR010204-01A2; and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Grant #K01AI055247-05. This project also was supported by Award #UL1RR025747 from the National Center for Research Resources, with the content being the sole responsibility of the authors and not necessarily representing the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health. We would like to acknowledge Michelle Hayes, Ebun Odeneye, and Nana Abrew of the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research for assisting us with compiling the articles for data extraction. We also would like to thank Dr. Karen Crotty for her review of drafts of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center For Faculty Excellence, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), Wilson Library, CB#3470, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3470, USA

    Sohini Sengupta

  2. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Giselle Corbie Smith

  3. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Bahby Banks & Giselle Corbie Smith

  4. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Dan Jonas & Giselle Corbie Smith

  5. School of Nursing, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Margaret Shandor Miles

  6. Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Giselle Corbie Smith

  7. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Giselle Corbie Smith

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  1. Sohini Sengupta
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  2. Bahby Banks
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  3. Dan Jonas
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Correspondence to Sohini Sengupta.

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Sengupta, S., Banks, B., Jonas, D. et al. HIV Interventions to Reduce HIV/AIDS Stigma: A Systematic Review. AIDS Behav 15, 1075–1087 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9847-0

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