title: The Association Between HIV Disclosure Status and Perceived Barriers to Care Faced by Women Living with HIV in Latin America, China, Central/Eastern Europe, and Western Europe/Canada.
abstract: Generally, women are less likely than men to disclose their HIV status. This analysis examined the relationship between HIV disclosure and (1) perceived barriers to care and (2) quality of life (QoL) for women with HIV. The ELLA (EpidemioLogical study to investigate the popuLation and disease characteristics, barriers to care, and quAlity of life for women living with HIV) study enrolled HIV-positive women aged ≥18 years. Women completed the 12-item Barriers to Care Scale (BACS) questionnaire. QoL was assessed using the Health Status Assessment. BACS and QoL were stratified by dichotomized HIV disclosure status (to anyone outside the healthcare system). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with disclosure. Of 1945 patients enrolled from Latin America, China, Central/Eastern Europe, and Western Europe/Canada between July 2012 and September 2013, 1929 were included in the analysis (disclosed, n = 1724; nondisclosed, n = 205). Overall, 55% of patients lived with a husband/partner, 53% were employed, and 88% were receiving antiretroviral therapy. Patients who were with a serodiscordant partner were more likely to disclose (p = 0.0003). China had a disproportionately higher percentage of participants who did not disclose at all (nearly 30% vs. <15% for other regions). Mean BACS severity scores for medical/psychological service barriers and most personal resource barriers were significantly lower for the disclosed group compared with the nondisclosed group (p ≤ 0.02 for all). Compared with the disclosed group, the nondisclosed group reported statistically significantly higher (p ≤ 0.03) BACS item severity scores for 8 of the 12 potential barriers to care. The disclosed group reported better QoL. Overall, HIV nondisclosure was associated with more severe barriers to accessing healthcare by women with HIV.
authors.affiliation: 1 Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Canada .
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loutfy
authors.affiliation: 2 Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust , London, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: 1 Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Canada .|3 Immunodeficiency Clinic, Toronto General Hospital, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto , Toronto, Canada .
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walmsley
authors.affiliation: 4 Saint Petersburg City HIV Centre, St. Petersburg, Russia, Saint Petersburg Medical University named after ac. Pavlov I.P. , St. Petersburg, Russia .
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samarina
authors.affiliation: 5 Hospital San Juan de Dios , Santiago de Chile, Chile .
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.affiliation: 6 Infectious Disease, Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hao-Lan
authors.affiliation: 7 AbbVie, Inc. , North Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Tshepiso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Madihlaba
authors.affiliation: 7 AbbVie, Inc. , North Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Marisol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinez-Tristani
authors.affiliation: 7 AbbVie, Inc. , North Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Wyk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002681:China; D005060:Europe; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011788:Quality of Life; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure