HIV stigma: Perceptions from HIV positive and HIV negative patients in a community dental clinic

Background. In the medical sense, stigma has been defined as the collection of negative attitudes and beliefs that are directed at people living with a particular condition or disease process. A cohort study was conducted to explore the HIV stigma that is perceived by HIV positive individuals versus that perceived by the general population within a community based dental clinic.
Methods. Two separate and independent cross sectional surveys, the Berger Stigma Scale and the Rutgers-Modified Berger Stigma Scale, were employed in order to analyze the stigma factors of an HIV positive population versus an HIV negative general population, respectively. The HIV stigma factors studied included personalized stigma, disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concern with public attitudes.
Results. HIV positive patients perceived less stigma than their non-diagnosed counterparts projected they would for every studied stigma factor (p Conclusions. Interestingly, there is a misplaced expectation by the general population that HIV positive individuals experience more stigma than the HIV positive population in the clinic actually reported. Interventions to reduce HIV stigma should be an integral component of comprehensive care for all patients.