title: HIV interventions to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma: a systematic review.
abstract: We reviewed the literature to determine the effectiveness of HIV-related interventions in reducing HIV/AIDS stigma. Studies selected had randomized controlled trial (RCT), pretest-posttest with a non-randomized control group, or pretest-posttest one group study designs in which HIV-related interventions were being evaluated, and in which HIV/AIDS stigma was one of the outcomes being measured. A checklist was used to extract data from accepted studies, assess their internal validity, and overall quality. Data were extracted from 19 studies, and 14 of these studies demonstrated effectiveness in reducing HIV/AIDS stigma. Only 2 of these 14 effective studies were considered good studies, based on quality, the extent to which the intervention focused on reducing HIV/AIDS stigma, and the statistics reported to demonstrate effectiveness. Future studies to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma could improve by designing interventions that pay greater attention to internal validity, use validated HIV/AIDS stigma instruments, and achieve both statistical and public health significance.
authors.affiliation: Center For Faculty Excellence, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), Wilson Library, CB#3470, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3470, USA. sengups@unc.edu
authors.forename: Sohini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.forename: Bahby
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Margaret Shandor
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: Giselle Corbie
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D016896:Treatment Outcome