Authors
Helder Gemo, Ana Gorgulho, Francisca Bartilotti, Dara Mbanze, Cristóvão Figueiredo, Joana Fragoso, Sofia Nunes, Daniel Coutinho, Carlos Azevedo, Tiago Teixeira, Andre Oliveira, Luis Malheiro
Published in
AIDS and behavior. Jul 17, 2026. Epub Jul 17, 2026.
Abstract
HIV-related stigma remains a barrier to well-being and long-term care despite effective antiretroviral therapy. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from a prospective real-world cohort of adults receiving routine HIV care in northern Portugal. Overall HIV stigma was the primary outcome, and associations with sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, behavioral, and patient-reported variables were examined using univariable and multivariable linear regression. Among 467 participants, the median overall stigma score was 30 (Q1-Q3, 26-35), and disclosure concerns had the highest median subscale score. The multivariable model was statistically significant, F(7,429) = 10.254, p < 0.001, adjusted R² = 0.129. Higher overall stigma was independently associated with HIV-1 viral load ≥ 200 copies/mL (B = 4.489, 95% CI 0.660 to 8.318, t = 2.304, p = 0.022), anxiety symptoms (B = 0.318 per point, 95% CI 0.120 to 0.515, t = 3.166, p = 0.002), and depressive symptoms (B = 0.236 per point, 95% CI 0.031 to 0.441, t = 2.259, p = 0.024). A history of opportunistic infection was associated with lower stigma (B = -1.826, 95% CI -3.524 to -0.128, t = -2.114, p = 0.035). Higher quality-of-life scores were consistently associated with lower stigma (t values ranging from - 10.690 to -4.161, all p < 0.001). These findings support routine stigma-sensitive and psychologically informed HIV care to identify psychosocial needs and potentially improve well-being and treatment outcomes.
PMID:
42467128
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Jul 2026.
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