Cited by 699HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsHIV, Drug Use, Sexual RiskHIV/AIDS Impact and Responses

A systematic review of interventions to reduce HIV‐related stigma and discrimination from 2002 to 2013: how far have we come?

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Stangl, Anne L, Lloyd, Jennifer K, Brady, Laura M, Holland, Claire E, Baral, Stefan·2013·Journal of the International AIDS Society

Abstract

Introduction: HIV‐related stigma and discrimination continue to hamper efforts to prevent new infections and engage people in HIV treatment, care and support programmes. The identification of effective interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination that can be integrated into national responses is crucial to the success of the global AIDS response. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies and reports that assessed the effectiveness of interventions to reduce HIV stigma and discrimination between 1 January 2002 and 1 March 2013. Databases searched for peer‐reviewed articles included PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO Host –CINAHL Plus, Psycinfo, Ovid, Sociofile and Popline. Reports were obtained from the www.HIVAIDSClearinghouse.eu, USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse, UNESCO HIV and AIDS Education Clearinghouse, Google, WHO and UNAIDS. Ancestry searches for articles included in the systematic review were also conducted. Studies of any design that sought to reduce stigma as a primary or secondary objective and included pre‐ and post‐intervention measures of stigma were included. Results: Of 2368 peer‐reviewed articles and reports identified, 48 were included in our review representing 14 different target populations in 28 countries. The majority of interventions utilized two or more strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination, and ten included structural or biomedical components. However, most interventions targeted a single socio‐ecological level and a single domain of stigma. Outcome measures lacked uniformity and validity, making both interpretation and comparison of study results difficult. While the majority of studies were effective at reducing the aspects of stigma they measured, none assessed the influence of stigma or discrimination reduction on HIV‐related health outcomes. Conclusions: Our review revealed considerable progress in the stigma‐reduction field. However, critical challenges and gaps remain which are impeding the identification of effective stigma‐reduction strategies that can be implemented by national governments on a larger scale. The development, validation, and consistent use of globally relevant scales of stigma and discrimination are a critical next step for advancing the field of research in this area. Studies comparing the effectiveness of different stigma‐reduction strategies and studies assessing the influence of stigma reduction on key behavioural and biomedical outcomes are also needed to maximize biomedical prevention efforts.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [19]Stangl A Go V Zelaya C Brady L Nyblade L Stackpool-Moore L Enabling the scale-up of efforts to reduce HIV stigma and discrimination: a new framework to inform program implementation and measurement 2010 7 18–23 Vienna XVIII International AIDS Conference
  2. [114]Apinundecha C Laohasiriwong W Cameron MP Lim S A community participation intervention to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma, Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand AIDS Care. 2007 19 9 1157 65 18058400

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Authors
Stangl, A. L., Lloyd, J. K., Brady, L. M., Holland, C. E., & Baral, S.
Affiliations
  • International Center for Research on Women (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
Corresponding author
Stangl, Anne L
Venue
Journal of the International AIDS Society
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2013-11
Volume
16
Issue
3S2
Pages
18734-18734
ISSN
1758-2652 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2038136417
Cited by
698
References
121
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 78 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 69 · 2018: 56 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 57 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 3
FWCI
5.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the International AIDS Society (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Department for International Development
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses
Keywords
HIV stigma, HIV discrimination, stigma reduction interventions, HIV prevention, HIV treatment engagement, stigma measurement scale, biomedical HIV prevention
MeSH terms
Discrimination, Psychological, Humans, HIV Infections, Social Stigma

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