Despite a decade of widespread ‘Undetectable equals Untransmissible’ (U=U) messaging and advances in HIV prevention, stigma has barely shifted for older people living with HIV in Amsterdam. ‘Disclosure concerns’ fell only marginally over ten years, while negative self-image did not change, report Dr Kevin Moody and colleagues in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
Interestingly, having lived longer with HIV seemed to be linked to a reduction in both disclosure concerns and negative self-image, while – as might be expected – having depression correlated with greater concerns. Living in a larger household, being a woman and being bisexual were all associated with worse stigma scores too, but these results may not be reliable as the numbers of participants matching these criteria were too small.
Read the full analysis at aidsmap.