title: The influence of stigma and discrimination on female sex workers' access to HIV services in St. Petersburg, Russia.
abstract: Stigma associated with HIV and risk behaviors is known to be a barrier to health care access for many populations. Less is known about female sex workers (FSW) in Russia, a population that is especially vulnerable to HIV-infection, and yet hard-to-reach for service providers. We administered a questionnaire to 139 FSW to better understand how stigma and discrimination influence HIV service utilization. Logistic regression analysis indicated that HIV-related stigma is negatively associated with uptake of HIV testing, while sex work-related stigma is positively associated with HIV testing. HIV-positive FSW are more likely than HIV-negative FSW to experience discrimination in health care settings. While decreasing societal stigma should be a long-term goal, programs that foster inclusion of marginalized populations in Russian health care settings are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA, elizabeth.king@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maman
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bowling
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Moracco
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dudina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011287:Prejudice; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011477:Sex Work / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060386:Sex Workers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012938:Social Perception; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires