title: Enacted and internalized stigma and quality of life among people with HIV: the role of group identity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study analyzes the mediating role of social identity in the relationship between enacted stigma and internalized stigma and quality of life of people with HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 557 people with HIV participated in this study. Participants were recruited from hospitals and non-governmental organizations. Questionnaires measuring perceived stigma (Berger's HIV Stigma Scale), social identity (Cameron's three factor identity scale), and quality of life (Ruiz and Baca's Quality of Life Questionnaire) were administered. The instruments were adapted for use with the Spanish population. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the mediation model, and multigroup SEM was conducted to evaluate its invariance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both enacted stigma and internalized stigma had a negative influence on the quality of life of people with HIV, but this influence occurred in different ways. Enacted stigma had a direct negative influence on quality of life. No dimension of group identity protected people with HIV from its negative influence. However, the negative influence of internalized stigma was totally mediated by some dimensions of group identification, mainly through in-group affect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Group identification not only did not protect people with HIV from the negative effects of stigmatization, but it may even be detrimental in the case of internalized stigma. This suggests that in highly stigmatized groups, the salience of identity is negative and worsens the members' opinion of their own group. This argues for different kinds of intervention to improve the quality of life of people with HIV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fuster-Ruizdeapodaca
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molero
authors.forename: Francisco Pablo
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Holgado
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayordomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011788:Quality of Life; D012933:Social Identification; D057545:Social Stigma; D013030:Spain; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires