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HIV-Related Stigma, Shame, and Avoidant Coping: Risk Factors for Internalizing Symptoms Among Youth Living with HIV?
Journal article   Peer reviewed

HIV-Related Stigma, Shame, and Avoidant Coping: Risk Factors for Internalizing Symptoms Among Youth Living with HIV?

David S Bennett, Jill Hersh, Joanna Herres and Jill Foster
Child psychiatry and human development, v 47(4), pp 657-664
Aug 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0599-y
PMID: 26458909
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Adaptation, Psychological Adolescent Anxiety - psychology Child Defense Mechanisms Depression - psychology Female Guilt HIV Infections - psychology Humans Male Risk Factors Self Report Shame Social Stigma Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology Young Adult
Youth living with HIV (YLH) are at elevated risk of internalizing symptoms, although there is substantial individual variability in adjustment. We examined perceived HIV-related stigma, shame-proneness, and avoidant coping as risk factors of internalizing symptoms among YLH. Participants (N = 88; ages 12-24) completed self-report measures of these potential risk factors and three domains of internalizing symptoms (depressive, anxiety, and PTSD) during a regularly scheduled HIV clinic visit. Hierarchical regressions were conducted for each internalizing symptoms domain, examining the effects of age, gender, and maternal education (step 1), HIV-related stigma (step 2), shame- and guilt-proneness (step 3), and avoidant coping (step 4). HIV-related stigma, shame-proneness, and avoidant coping were each correlated with greater depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Specificity was observed in that shame-proneness, but not guilt-proneness, was associated with greater internalizing symptoms. In multivariable analyses, HIV-related stigma and shame-proneness were each related to greater depressive and PTSD symptoms. Controlling for the effects of HIV-related stigma and shame-proneness, avoidant coping was associated with PTSD symptoms. The current findings highlight the potential importance of HIV-related stigma, shame, and avoidant coping on the adjustment of YLH, as interventions addressing these risk factors could lead to decreased internalizing symptoms among YLH.

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29 citations in Web of Science
29 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Industry collaboration
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Psychology, Developmental
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