title: Do People Know I'm Poz?: Factors Associated with Knowledge of Serostatus Among HIV-Positive African Americans' Social Network Members.
abstract: We examined how functional social support, HIV-related discrimination, internalized HIV stigma, and social network structure and composition were cross-sectionally associated with network members' knowledge of respondents' serostatus among 244 HIV-positive African Americans in Los Angeles. Results of a generalized hierarchical linear model indicated people in respondents' networks who were highly trusted, well-known to others (high degree centrality), HIV-positive, or sex partners were more likely to know respondents' HIV serostatus; African American network members were less likely to know respondents' serostatus, as were drug-using partners. Greater internalized stigma among respondents living with HIV was associated with less knowledge of their seropositivity within their social network whereas greater respondent-level HIV discrimination was associated with more knowledge of seropositivity within the network. Additional research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms and mediating processes associated with serostatus disclosure as well as the long-term consequences of disclosure and network members' knowledge of respondents' serostatus.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA. matthew.a.hoover@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.
authors.forename: Harold D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bogart
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.
authors.forename: Glenn J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA.|AIDS Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Matt G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mutchler
authors.affiliation: Bienestar Human Services, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Frank H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Galvan
authors.affiliation: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA.|AIDS Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Bryce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McDavitt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D035502:Trust; D014342:Truth Disclosure
keywords: Disclosure; HIV; Social networks; Stigma