title: Duty and destiny: psychometric properties and correlates of HIV-related stigma among youth NGO workers in Delhi, India.
abstract: Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are increasingly providing critical health-related services to hard-to-reach populations. In India, stigma has been cited as a barrier to NGO participation in HIV-prevention activities with high-risk populations. Our study undertook to characterize and contextualize HIV-related stigma within HIV NGOs in Delhi, India. We investigated psychometric characteristics and correlates of HIV-related stigma in a sample of youth NGO practitioners (N=122) working on peer HIV prevention. Factor analyses revealed a "cultural inflection" of stigma in this population: assignment of blame on people living with HIV (PLWH) factored along with individual behaviors and care-taking (Dharma, or Duty), distinct from the perception of HIV as God's punishment, which was connected to ostracism from society (Karma, or Destiny). Exposure to HIV-related messages in newspapers was associated with 55.7% lower levels of Dharma-related stigma (p=0.07) and 58% lower levels of Karma-related stigma scores (p=0.01), respectively, while recall of HIV-related messages on the radio was associated with 57.3% lower Dharma-related (p=0.03) and 34.1% lower Karma-related stigma scores (p=0.06), respectively. The strongest correlate of lower HIV-related stigma was social proximity to PLWH (~76% reduction on both stigma factors, p<0.03). Future research on HIV-related stigma should consider the unique cultural properties and correlates of stigma among young NGO practitioners.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India. devaki.nambiar@gmail.com
authors.forename: Devaki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nambiar
authors.forename: Rajiv N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Rimal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D009938:Organizations; D011287:Prejudice; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057545:Social Stigma; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014838:Volunteers; D055815:Young Adult