As HIV unfolded in the 1980s, HIV and AIDS were heard and seen through the lives of those whom it touched directly. Personal histories were foregrounded, centred by the inevitable mortality attached to HIV infection, the courage of circumstance in the face of illness, and the activism necessary to make a difference. In the later part of the decade, the impacts of HIV were most apparent in East Africa, where community responses and political leadership coalesced to reduce new HIV infections. The 1990s marked a turn towards centralised policy, funding, and the reification of biomedically oriented approaches and systems that are intrinsically top-down. This biomedical turn centred on foregrounding the widespread availability of low-cost antiretroviral therapy and was articulated in the 90-90-90 and subsequent targets. Biomedicalisation reinforces individualised approaches to health primarily focused on biomedical technologies and health service provision that do not rely on community or social organisation formats. Emphasis on HIV treatment, along with the promise of reduced HIV transmission through viral load suppression, contributed to limiting socio-behavioural approaches to HIV prevention. While the importance of community-led response was highlighted in the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, community-led response has devolved towards concepts such as community-led monitoring and community-led response that frame responses in direct relation to the dominant biomedical paradigm. There are lessons in the history of the AIDS response that demonstrate that communities formulate responses to AIDS differently when there have been opportunities for community members to determine the pathways for action to address HIV independently. Older research studies offer retrospective insights into moments in the history of HIV when communities were foregrounded and highlighted the need to reconsider the current trajectory of the HIV response. Not only for history's sake but to acknowledge that community leadership remains overwhelmed by elites. While lofty targets and goals drive the contemporary HIV response, the way forward is mired by uncertainty. HIV prevention efforts remain uneven, and millions of people living with HIV depend on access to treatment for decades to come in the context of budgetary uncertainties. Changing the course of AIDS will not be achieved if we fail to ensure that communities occupy a genuine and unambiguous place in shaping HIV response.
Mozambique has the sixth highest prevalence of HIV in the world and ranks fourth in new infections. The government-owned print press Notícias has played an important role in the social construction of HIV and AIDS in the country as it was entrusted with the role of disseminating HIV and AIDS information to the public since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in 1986. Using Notícias' articles and frame analysis perspective, the article analyses the way Notícias has framed HIV and AIDS in the country since the late 1980s. The choice of media results from the fact that the way a phenomenon is constructed influences the way it is understood, as well as the way people may behave before it. The study found that Notícias' frames on HIV and AIDS have suffered from a threefold tension: the need to maintain the Frelimo government's former centralised and grassroots-orientated socialist ideology of health services in the context of the liberal market; the need to balance the influence of the global multilateral and bilateral actors and the Frelimo government's political interest of translating HIV and AIDS response to the Mozambican context; and the need to portray a nationalist and positive image of the government's performance in HIV and AIDS response before Mozambique's non-fully plausible societal practices for an effective HIV and AIDS response. In a top-down approach, Notícias' frames reflect not only the African post-independence ancillary and nationalist role of government-owned print press but also the power of global actors. Less is done from the societal bottom-up perspective.
The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from 2020 to mid-2022, debilitated the management of the HIV epidemic in Africa. The multiple effects included well-documented HIV service interruptions, curtailment of HIV prevention programmes, the associated marked increase in both the risk for HIV infection among key populations and vulnerability of sub-populations (e.g. adolescent girls and young women) who are the focus of these programmes and - as importantly but less well-documented - the diverse negative socio-economic effects that accentuate HIV risk and vulnerability generally (e.g. loss of earnings, gender-based violence, stigma, police harassment of people during "lockdowns"). The global biomedical response to COVID-19 was necessary and remarkable for mitigating the bio-physical impacts of the pandemic (e.g. wide-spread surveillance coupled with rapid updates on the epidemiology of infections, rapid development of vaccines and revisions of treatment). However, drawing upon the widespread criticisms of state responses to the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and of "lockdowns" themselves, this article elaborates a core argument within those criticisms, namely that key lessons learnt during the HIV and AIDS and other pandemics were ignored, at least during the early stages of COVID-19. Our critique is that better integration of the social sciences and humanities in responses to pandemics can counter the reflex tendency to uncritically adopt a biomedical paradigm and, more importantly, to enable consideration of the social determinants of health in pandemic responses. At root, we re-assert a key value of 'integrated' interventions, namely the accommodation of context-sensitive considerations in the formulation of strategies, policies, plans and programme designs.
Background: Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) in healthcare settings are significant barriers to achieving Egypt's 95-95-95 targets and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Misconceptions among healthcare professionals (HCPs) can negatively affect testing, treatment, and care outcomes. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of HCPs toward PLHIV at Cairo University Hospitals.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and June 2021 (n = 344 HCPs, mean age = 31.1 years, female = 52%), including physicians, nurses, and house officers, using an online, self-administered questionnaire adapted from the UNAIDS standardised tool for measuring HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The survey covered five domains: sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, practices, and institutional policies.Results: Only 30.3% of participants (n = 104) had received HIV/AIDS training in the past year. The training received had a median training duration of 12 hours (IQR: 7-21). While 86.6% (n = 298) correctly identified that a healthy-looking person can have HIV, misinformation was prevalent in other areas. Furthermore, 77.3% were unaware of the "undetectable = untransmittable" ("U=U") concept. Discriminatory attitudes and stigmatising behaviour driven by illiteracy of HIV/AIDS issues were evident. More than half of the participants strongly agreed that their facility had adequate supplies and standardised procedures to reduce HIV transmission risk, and 31.4% stated that their facility lacked written guidelines to protect patients with HIV from discrimination.Conclusion: Persistent knowledge gaps, fear of occupational exposure, and moral judgments toward PLHIV were evident among HCP. Targeted stigma-reduction interventions through continuous professional education, enforcement of institutional anti-discrimination policies, and incorporation of HIV prevention principles into healthcare curricula are urgently needed.
There are indications that gender has an effect on individual risk factors and pathways to HIV diagnoses and treatment. Furthermore, there is growing recognition that to improve HIV-related health outcomes for men, it is important to understand their experiences and perspectives. Perhaps because of the physical nature of construction work, the South African construction industry is dominated by men. Given that employed men are a hard-to-reach community population group, the construction workplace offers an ideal environment for data collection and delivery of non-health-facility-based HIV prevention and treatment interventions. Furthermore, workers in the construction industry have been identified as being at a heightened risk of acquiring HIV and AIDS because of work-related travel, the ubiquity of transactional sex around worker hostels and having an increased likelihood of multiple and concurrent sex partnerships. As a consequence, this study examines the association between condom use and sexual partnerships among men working in the construction industry. A purposive cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 450 workers across 18 construction sites in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The types of sexual partnership had three categories: regular sex partnerships, casual sex partnerships and sex worker partnerships. Frequency of condom use was determined to be highest with casual sex partners (51.2%), followed by sex workers (40.6%) and regular sex partners (25.6%). Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the demographic, experiential, behavioural and cognitive predictors of condom use across the three categories of sexual partnership. The results indicate that an individual's perception of control over condom use, and the perceived threat posed by HIV and AIDS are significantly associated with consistent condom use, even after accounting for differences in partner type. Implications of the findings are discussed, and directions for future research on the association between sexual partnerships and condom use are offered.
Background: In Libya, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has worsened over the past 10 years because of political instability, dilapidated health infrastructure, social stigma, and limited access to testing and treatment. While public health has a growing interest in addressing HIV issues, there is limited and uncoordinated national-level research on HIV in Libya.Objective: This study aimed to analyse trends and risk factors of HIV/AIDS in Libya from 2011 to 2025.Methods: This study utilised a retrospective descriptive epidemiological design to describe HIV/AIDS trends in Libya over 15 years (2011-2025). Data were obtained from national health records, the World Health Organization, Libyan public reports, and UNAIDS. Variables of interest included incidence, prevalence, sex, age, geographic distributions, modes of transmission, and displacement status.Results: By 2025, an estimated 8 200 people will be living with HIV in Libya. Males made up 77.3% of confirmed cases, injection drug use was the most common transmission route at 45.2%, and the impacts were primarily in the 30 to 39-year age group. Displaced populations made up 34% of the cases. The large increase in cases was preceded by a government indication program for testing, and cases were then identified that had previously gone undiagnosed.Conclusions: While the patterns of HIV spread in Libya are alarming, we recommend an urgent scale-up of interventions similar to those in Rwanda. Mobile testing units, harm reduction programs, peer outreach, and community-based anti-stigma programs in high-risk communities all require immediate scale-up.
If left untreated, HIV has the potential to increase morbidity and mortality rates to 14 times higher than that of HIV and AIDS-free persons of the same sex and age group. Currently, treatment of HIV is by use of ART, which has proved to prolong the lives of people living with HIV (PLWHIV). In addition to ART, HIV patients opt to also use traditional medicines. Moringa oleifera is one of the traditional herbs that is used by HIV patients in developing countries. However, its use is only recommended by non-professionals due to a lack of consensus on the impact of moringa on the health of PLWHIV. Therefore, the goal of this review is to investigate the impact of moringa oleifera on health-related quality of life of PLWHIV. Three scientific databases were accessed from 1 July to 31 August 2022 using as key words "moringa oleifera", "health outcomes", herbal supplementation" and "traditional medicines". Articles published in peer-reviewed journals were selected. 20 articles were retrieved, and 11 articles were excluded since they either did not use a randomised control study design, or were a review. The articles reviewed indicated that moringa supplementation resulted to increases in CD4 cell count and body mass index, improvements in psychological well-being, in management of depression and anxiety and the function of vital body organs and control of cholesterol levels. In conclusion, use of moringa oleifera supplementation improves the health of PLWHIV. It is therefore recommended that health personnel should consider the use of moringa oleifera alongside ART to ensure optimal treatment outcomes.
HIV self-testing (HIVST) enables individuals to test privately and can serve as an important tool to mitigate stigma and fear of HIV testing and unintended disclosure, especially among men, who have lower voluntary testing rates than women. Within an intervention study involving distribution of HIVST kits by fishermen to their peers [NCT04772469], we explore the experiences and the motivations of men who chose to self-test for HIV in the presence of their female partners. We conducted in-depth interviews (n = 32) with fishermen from three fishing communities along Lake Victoria, Kenya. Interviews were conducted at three months post-intervention and explored fishermen's experiences with HIVST and the context under which they tested. Interviews were analysed using a framework analysis approach. Though they were not prompted by the study to do so, 17 participants described testing for HIV at home in the presence of partners. Fishermen who used HIVST kits in front of partners expressed feelings of comfort and closeness, felt the experience strengthened their relationships, helped garner partner support, and facilitated partner disclosure of their HIV status and subsequent couples' HIV testing. Building awareness of the benefits of HIVST for promoting knowledge of HIV status, as a starting point for discussions about HIV, and to promote disclosure in relationships, may increase rates of voluntary HIV testing among men.
The HIV and AIDS epidemic remains a critical global health challenge. Malawi accounts for 2.5% of global HIV cases and is a focus country in the UNAIDS 95-95-95 fast-track initiative. Despite reaching 92-95-94 in 2020, there is a need to evaluate Malawi's progress as of 2023 to identify gaps and ensure success before the target period ends. This quantitative descriptive study used secondary data from Malawi's Department of HIV and AIDS Management Information System (DHAMIS) database over a 12-year period (2012-2023) and HIV spectrum estimates. It contains aggregate data from HIV service delivery points. Data included key HIV indicators disaggregated by age and gender. Numerators for the 95-95-95 are: people living with HIV (PLHIV) who know their status, PLHIV on treatment, PLHIV on treatment and virally suppressed. Denominators are: the estimated total PLHIV, PLHIV who know their status and PLHIV on treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using Excel, SPSS and Stata to assess differences between groups. Ethical approval and data access permissions were granted by the Ministry of Health. Between 2012 and 2023, the total number of PLHIV increased from 962 043 to 991 600. The percentage of PLHIV aware of their HIV status increased from 73% to 95%, and those on treatment increased from 58% to 95%. By 2023, 87% of children (under 15 years old) knew their HIV status, compared to 96% of adults. Lower percentages of ART initiation and viral load suppression were also noted among children. While both males and females improved across all indicators, men consistently lagged women in all three indicators. The viral suppression gap narrowed after 2019. Malawi has improved in the HIV treatment cascade between 2012 and 2023. Challenges remain in children ART initiation and access to care for men, requiring targeted efforts to achieve equitable treatment for all and meet the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
For more than two decades, United States foreign assistance, particularly through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has been central to Nigeria's HIV response, supporting antiretroviral therapy (ART), laboratory systems, and community-based prevention initiatives. Among these are programs for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and the Families Matter! Program (FMP), which equips parents and caregivers to guide adolescents away from behaviours that increase HIV risk and help reduce HIV-related stigma within families and communities.The temporary freeze on U.S. foreign aid announced in January 2025 disrupted these interventions and raised concerns about the sustainability of Nigeria's HIV response. While much attention has focused on the risk of treatment interruptions and ART stock-outs, less attention has been given to the suspension of OVC and FMP programs despite their role in prevention, psychosocial support, and household stability.This paper examines the short-and long-term implications of the aid freeze for Nigeria's HIV response, with particular focus on adolescents, vulnerable children, and family-centred prevention initiatives. It argues that disruptions to these programs may undermine prevention gains and weaken social protection systems, while also highlighting the need for stronger domestic resource mobilisation and institutionalisation of community-based HIV interventions to ensure a more sustainable and resilient response.
South Africa's 2016 medical male circumcision (MMC) guidelines ("the guidelines") provide direction for the MMC programme's implementation in South Africa. The aim of our document analysis was to assess the guidelines, particularly in lieu of changing guidance from WHO and PEPFAR. We then assessed how the guidelines might be applied to infant and child male circumcision (ICMC). The analysis was performed by reviewing South Africa's guidelines, along with international documents used in developing those guidelines, to identify the historical development of the guidelines, as well as the implications for MMC and ICMC decision-making within the South African context. The following principles were analysed within the context of South Africa's guidelines: (1) quality and safety; (2) informed consent; (3) confidentiality; (4) human rights; and (5) accessibility of services. Tthe document analysis also identified ambiguities that exist in the guidelines, particularly regarding consent, recognising religious or cultural exemptions, and guaranteeing the best interests of the child. South Africa's MMC guidelines could benefit from incorporating common definitions to assist with interpretation and understanding, thus preventing confusion and controversy among programme planners, parents and boys. The guidelines were made available in 2016 and recommendations for circumcision have evolved as new research and information has become available. South Africa's National Department of Health should review and update these guidelines, with a focus on both MMC and ICMC issues, so that they reflect the most up-to-date, accurate information available, to avoid inconsistent practices, risks, and litigation in the management of the programme. This study was situated within a qualitative paradigm and applied a social choice theory perspective to make sense of the MMC guidelines. The study concludes that future policy revisions should develop a broader understanding of the complex medical male circumcision decision-making process, particularly faced by parents.
Background: HIV-related stigma remains a significant barrier to well-being and access to healthcare for adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. Stigma reduction interventions have been developed to address this challenge, but the effectiveness of these interventions in this population is not well-documented.Objectives: This narrative review synthesises the available evidence on the effectiveness of stigma reduction interventions for adolescents and young adults (aged 10-24 years) living with HIV in Sub-Saharan African countries.Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using multiple electronic databases to identify relevant studies evaluating stigma reduction interventions targeting internalised stigma, perceived stigma, HIV disclosure, mental health, antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and viral suppression among the population of interest.Results: Studies were conducted in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Nigeria. Various types of stigma reduction interventions were identified, including education and awareness campaigns, peer support and mentoring, counselling and psychosocial support, and community-based approaches. The evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing internalised, perceived and enacted stigma, improving HIV disclosure, enhancing mental health and well-being, increasing ART adherence, and potentially contributing to viral suppression. Factors influencing intervention effectiveness, such as intervention design, participant characteristics, and the sociocultural context, are discussed.Conclusion: Stigma reduction interventions have shown promise in improving a range of outcomes for adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, more research is needed to identify the most effective intervention strategies and to explore the long-term impact on health outcomes.
Following a systematic review of quality indicators employed in the evaluation of clinical care for individuals with HIV and AIDS, we performed "an exploratory study" that aims to assess the clinical significance and practical applicability of these indicators from the perspective of health care professionals (HCPs) specialising in HIV and AIDS care. Twenty-five HCPs filled out two questionnaires. From the initial list of 88 quality indicators, 50 were identified as the most relevant and useful in HIV and AIDS clinical care. Analysis was conducted on the individual indicators, and the outcomes were categorised into seven domains for clinical relevance and practical usefulness. Health care professionals deemed the functional organisational structure and the therapy domain to have the most pertinent and useful indicators among the seven different clinical domains, followed by the prevention domain.
Depression is a significant concern for people living with HIV and AIDS as it is associated with negative health outcomes and suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). To this extent, screening for depression is essential for early detection. The CESD-R-20 is a revised four-factor questionnaire developed to assess depressive symptoms in adults. This study explored the factor structure and psychometric properties of the CESD-R-20 among 685 individuals receiving ART. Data were collected at the Infectious Diseases Clinic of a large public hospital outside Cape Town from participants who had been receiving ART for at least six months. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the CESD-R-20 was performed to identify its underlying factor structure. The EFA revealed a one-factor solution termed "depressive affect," comprising 19 items that encompassed the original factors. This finding suggests that depression is a cohesive construct rather than a collection of interconnected dimensions. The scale exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) among the sample of persons living with HIV and AIDS. Our findings indicate that the CESD-R-20 can effectively measure depressive affect as a one-factor scale in South Africans receiving ART. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and is suitable for screening for depressive symptoms among persons living with HIV and AIDS.
Background: Significant advancements have been made in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosis and treatment, yet progress in quality care remains limited. To address this gap, 88 quality indicators for clinical HIV/AIDS care were evaluated. This study aimed to assess and compare adherence to these quality indicators and to analyse their impact on treatment outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Africa (SA).Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Panzi Hospital (DRC) and King Edward VIII Hospital (SA) among adult HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) patients who began antiretroviral treatment between January 2018 and December 2022. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to assess the association between indicators and treatment outcomes.Results: Compliance with indicators was 65.75% in the DRC and 69.86% in SA. Multivariate analysis identified 10 indicators in DRC and four in SA linked to negative immunological responses, while eight in the DRC and seven in SA were associated with viral load suppression failure. Additionally, 12 indicators in the DRC and 14 in SA were linked to an increased risk of death.Conclusion: The level of compliance with the indicators was suboptimal in both countries, indicating the need for improvement. Several indicators were associated with treatment outcomes.
Accurate interpretation of survey questions about sensitive matters such as sexual practices is crucial for obtaining reliable data to inform effective public health interventions. Describing sexual practices involves reflecting on acts and contextually attributing meanings. However, participants in sexual behaviour studies may struggle to understand questions, affecting the validity of the data. We investigated factors that shape the understanding of survey questions on sexual practices in South Central Uganda using a survey instrument and a semi-structured cognitive interview guide. Participants (n = 24), stratified by age, sex, and community type, and including persons with disabilities, were recruited. Interviews were conducted in person, and data were analysed using thematic analysis and an analytic matrix. A complex interaction between awareness or knowledge of the practice, memory retrieval, denial, sexual involvement, and cultural beliefs influenced participants' understanding of survey questions on sexual activities. Specifically, awareness and knowledge of the practice facilitated spontaneous and accurate responses, while a lack of familiarity led to hesitation and confusion. Memory retrieval was easier for recent experiences, and denial slowed down the process. This study highlights the importance of considering individual, interpersonal, and community-level factors to improve the accuracy and reliability of survey research on sexual practices for effective public health interventions.
For over 25 years, new programs to attempt to stem the HIV epidemic have been developed in Africa by country governments as well as external donors. These programs and activities have built and operated facilities, trained clinicians, financed drugs and commodities, supported and helped finance government health planning and operations, and contributed in other ways. Who has benefited from this massive mobilization? While some single country and narrowly focused studies have been done, the issue of equity of HIV programs for vulnerable populations has not been examined in a large set of countries. Using Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) data, we examine equity of the HIV programs in 13 African countries to determine if vulnerable groups (such as those with low wealth, rural populations, young adults, and females) have achieved comparable levels of access to HIV program services. In contrast, we also compare the equity of the HIV response to rural and low-wealth populations with the equity of corresponding domestic health systems using Demographic and Health Survey data.This study found that in over half of the countries, the HIV response indicators were equitable for vulnerable population segments including the low-wealth population (in seven countries) and rural population segment (in nine countries). In no country was the domestic health system equitable for these two groups. However, HIV programming does show some clear patterns of inequity for low-wealth and rural populations in some countries. For gender and young adults, the HIV response indicators show that in all 13 countries men and young adults are consistently underserved relative to their counterparts.
Lesotho has the second-highest HIV and AIDS prevalence globally and is the country's second leading cause of death. Despite increasing ART coverage, adolescents remain left behind and face high mortality because of delayed ART initiation. This study aimed to explore the experiences and challenges of nurses when initiating adolescents living with HIV on ART in Thaba-Tseka, Lesotho. A qualitative descriptive research design and twelve in-depth interviews were conducted among nurses from a hospital in the Thaba-Tseka district. Participants were selected purposively until data saturation was reached. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed manually using the thematic analysis approach. The findings were presented in themes and sub-themes. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted in English and Sesotho from May to August 2021. The key findings in this study involved adolescents' attendance at the health care facility, ART initiation process, HIV stigma influencing the uptake of ART, poor ART follow-up and socio-economic factors affecting adherence to ART. The themes uncovered in this study provide valuable insights into the gaps in ART initiation, and highlight the challenges encountered by nurses during this process among adolescents in Lesotho. The experiences and obstacles shared by nurses during ART initiation cover a range of issues, collectively demonstrating their engagement in HIV and ART care. These findings emphasise the critical role of policymakers and health care providers in devising customised ART initiation interventions for adolescents. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for enhancing ART uptake and adherence among adolescents living with HIV in Lesotho.
Access to HIV services among men and boys in Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant public health challenge, exacerbated by cultural norms surrounding masculinity. This scoping review systematically investigates disparities in the provision and utilisation of these services in Sub-Saharan Africa. The review followed the Arksey and O'Malley framework, employing a five-step process with any disputes resolved through discussion. A comprehensive search across various databases was conducted for studies published from January 2010 to October 2023. Methodological quality was assessed using PRISMA-ScR and the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool, while NVivo supported thematic content analysis. EndNote and Rayyan software facilitated reference management and study screening. Out of 1 489 studies retrieved, 30 met the inclusion criteria, primarily qualitative (70%) and quantitative (16.7%). Most studies originated from South Africa (n = 10) and Uganda (n = 5). HIV testing services accounted for 36.7% of the studies, followed by treatment services (26.7%) and prevention services (20%). Facilitators of access included community health services and male catch-up plans. Barriers to accessing HIV services included stigma, masculinity norms, and fear of HIV-positive results, with low-risk perception also frequently noted. Male engagement strategies emerged as key to improving service delivery and utilisation. The findings revealed a moderate body of literature on HIV services for men in Sub-Saharan Africa, with research concentrated in South Africa and Uganda. Stigma, masculinity norms, and fear of HIV-positive results remain significant barriers, while community health services and male catch-up plans facilitate access. Implementing male engagement strategies and addressing these barriers is essential for improving service delivery, informing policy, and prioritising future research in underrepresented regions.
Background: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) may experience HIV-related stigma, which could negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and increase symptoms of depression. Self-compassion is a positive personality attribute that may protect PLWHA against stigmatisation. Previous studies have not examined the influence of self-compassion on the association between HIV-related stigma, HRQoL, and depression.Aim: The present study aimed to examine whether self-companion can moderate the relationship between (i) HIV-related stigma and HRQoL, and (ii) HIV-related stigma and depression among PLWHA.Methodology: Participants included 371 PLWHA (mean age = 31.44 years; SD = 9.75 years) recruited from a healthcare institution in Nigeria. Participants completed relevant self-report measures.Results: Regression analysis results showed that self-compassion positively and significantly moderated the relationship between HIV-related stigma and all the HRQoL domains (physical health symptoms, β = 0.01, p < 0. 05; relationship to others, β = 0.02, p < 0. 05; cognitive symptoms, β = 0.02, p < 0. 05; and treatment impacts, β = 0.02, p < 0. 05). Also, the positive relationship between HIV-related stigma and depression was significantly moderated by self-compassion (β = - 0.02, p < 0. 05).Conclusion: We concluded that clinical efforts geared towards improving the well-being of PLWHA should consider integrating self-compassion-based therapy since it has the potential to decrease the detrimental effects of stigma on the patients' health and recovery.