Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Sep;31(9):1069-1076.
doi: 10.1080/09540121.2019.1601677. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Association between perceived HIV stigma, social support, resilience, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nanjing, China

Hong Yan  1 , Xiaoyan Li  1 , Jingjing Li  2 , Wei Wang  1 , Yinmei Yang  1 , Xing Yao  1 , Ningxi Yang  1 , Shiyue Li  1
Affiliations

Association between perceived HIV stigma, social support, resilience, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nanjing, China

Hong Yan et al. AIDS Care. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Among Chinese HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), high levels of depression are common. The association between HIV and depression is attributed to several factors, particularly HIV-related stigma. However, to date, how HIV-related stigma leads to depression among Chinese HIV-positive MSM is still unclear. As such, this study aims to examine the relationships between perceived HIV stigma, social support, resilience, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms among HIV-positive MSM in China. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among 347 HIV-positive MSM from July to August 2016 in Nanjing, China. Measurements were sociodemographic and psychological constructs including perceived HIV stigma, social support, resilience, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among these constructs. Overall,134 (38.6%) participants had depressive symptoms. Perceived stigma was directly associated with depressive symptoms (β = .196, p < .001). Perceived stigma also indirectly affected depressive symptoms (β = .200, p < .001)through social support and self-esteem. Social support (β = -.124, p = .004) and self-esteem (β = -.536, p = .001), but not resilience, were direct predictors of depressive symptoms. Resilience was directly associated with self-esteem (β = .512, p < .001). Perceived HIV stigma could directly and indirectly impact depressive symptoms in HIV-positive MSM. Improving personal self-esteem, resilience and social support might reduce impact of perceived stigma on depressive symptoms among HIV-positive MSM in China.

Keywords: HIV; MSM; Perceived stigma; depressive symptoms; structural equation model.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles