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Chen C, Fu R, Ji S, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Yu NX. 'Surviving and thriving': intersectional stigma and resilience of dual minority identities among Chinese gay and bisexual men living with HIV. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38656917 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2024.2340102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Intersectionality has facilitated an understanding of the complexities of the adversities and challenges faced by individuals with multiple disadvantaged identities, including gay and bisexual men living with HIV. This study used deficiency- and empowerment-based perspectives together with an intersectionality lens to examine the intersections between sexuality minority and HIV-related stigma and resilience, as well as their compound effects on Chinese gay and bisexual men living with HIV. We conducted in-depth interviews with 21 gay and bisexual men living with HIV in Shenzhen, identifying two overarching themes and six subthemes in the provided accounts via thematic analysis. The theme of 'Interplay between Minority Identities' comprised aggravating effects and alleviating effects at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, community and structural levels. The theme of 'Compound Impact of Intersecting Identities' was contributed to by the subthemes 'the pressure to continue family lineage', 'persistent health concerns', 'financial concerns', and 'heightened psychological distress and resilience'. Integrating deficiency and empowerment perspectives, our findings highlight the importance of addressing intersectional stigma and identifying resilience resources to empower Chinese gay and bisexual men living with HIV to thrive amidst compounded adversities. Findings have implications for future intersectional research and intervention practice, especially in fostering resilience within the context of intersectional stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Rong Fu
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Shiyun Ji
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Jin Zhao
- Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Nancy Xiaonan Yu
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
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Pharr JR, Chien LC, Gakh M, Flatt JD, Kittle K, Terry E. Moderating Effect of Community and Individual Resilience on Structural Stigma and Suicidal Ideation among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults in the United States. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14526. [PMID: 36361405 PMCID: PMC9656182 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural stigma in the form of discriminatory laws and policies impacts the mental health of sexual and gender minorities, especially with regard to suicidality. However, this relationship could be moderated by resilience. The past two years has brought anti-SGM legislation, particularly transgender sports bans, at the state level in the United States into focus. This study aims to understand if the relationship between familiarity with transgender sports bans (proposed or enacted) and suicidality was moderated by individual or community resilience. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of survey data collected from a national sample of 1033 SGM adults in the United States between 28 January and 7 February 2022. Univariate and multivariate moderation analyses were used. RESULTS In the univariate analyses and the final model, community resilience moderated the relationship between structural stigma and suicidality (p = 0.0002); however, individual resilience did not (p = 0.0664). CONCLUSION Interventions to bolster community resilience may attenuate the negative mental health impacts of structural stigma and are warranted, along with concerted efforts to minimize structural stigma in the form of discriminatory laws and policies targeting people who are SGM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R. Pharr
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
| | - Lung-Chang Chien
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
| | - Maxim Gakh
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
| | - Jason D. Flatt
- Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
| | - Krystal Kittle
- Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
| | - Emylia Terry
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
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He J, Ding Y, Wong FY, He N. Health-care access and utilization among HIV-infected men who have sex with men in two Chinese municipalities with or without lockdown amidst early COVID-19 pandemic. AIDS Care 2022; 34:1390-1399. [PMID: 35179422 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2041163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
City lockdown is critical to successfully contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare among vulnerable population has yet to be explicated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Wuhan with city lockdown and Shanghai without lockdown, and healthcare interruptions were evaluated and compared. A logistic regression analysis was employed to examine associates of HIV-related healthcare interruptions and compromised mental health. Compared to participants in Shanghai (N = 440), HIV-infected MSM in Wuhan (N = 503) had significantly higher proportion of untimely availability of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) (20.6% vs. 8.4%), obtaining ARVs from outside institutions (29.1% vs. 8.1%), postponed non-AIDS treatment (6.4% vs. 2.8%) and untimely follow-up appointments (33.4% vs. 14.5%). HIV-related healthcare interruptions were positively associated with lockdown (OR = 4.89, 95% CI: 3.49-6.85) and non-local residence (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.37-2.64). Compromised mental health, including insomnia and generalized anxiety disorders, was associated with non-local residence (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01-1.81) and healthcare interruptions (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01-1.79). HIV-infected MSM are vulnerable to healthcare interruptions and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need for tailored intervention strategies to minimize deleterious health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu He
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, and The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingying Ding
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, and The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Frank Y Wong
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, and The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Center for Population Sciences and Health Equity, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Hawaìi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Na He
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, and The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Wanjala SW, Too EK, Luchters S, Abubakar A. Psychometric Properties of the Berger HIV Stigma Scale: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:13074. [PMID: 34948690 PMCID: PMC8701211 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182413074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Addressing HIV-related stigma requires the use of psychometrically sound measures. However, despite the Berger HIV stigma scale (HSS) being among the most widely used measures for assessing HIV-related stigma, no study has systematically summarised its psychometric properties. This review investigated the psychometric properties of the HSS. A systematic review of articles published between 2001 and August 2021 was undertaken (CRD42020220305) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Additionally, we searched the grey literature and screened the reference lists of the included studies. Of the total 1241 studies that were screened, 166 were included in the review, of which 24 were development and/or validation studies. The rest were observational or experimental studies. All the studies except two reported some aspect of the scale's reliability. The reported internal consistency ranged from acceptable to excellent (Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.70) in 93.2% of the studies. Only eight studies reported test-retest reliability, and the reported reliability was adequate, except for one study. Only 36 studies assessed and established the HSS's validity. The HSS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of HIV-related stigma. However, the validity evidence came from only 36 studies, most of which were conducted in North America and Europe. Consequently, more validation work is necessary for more precise insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley W. Wanjala
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Campus UZ-Ghent, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Social Sciences, Pwani University, Kilifi P.O. Box 195-80108, Kenya
| | - Ezra K. Too
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi P.O. Box 30270-00100, Kenya; (E.K.T.); (A.A.)
| | - Stanley Luchters
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Campus UZ-Ghent, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi P.O. Box 30270-00100, Kenya; (E.K.T.); (A.A.)
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Amina Abubakar
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi P.O. Box 30270-00100, Kenya; (E.K.T.); (A.A.)
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi P.O. Box 195-80108, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
- Neuroassessment Group, KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kilifi P.O. Box 230-80108, Kenya
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