Stigma among people living with HIV in Northern Egypt

Abstract Stigma involves labeling individuals, and associating them with negative behavior, leading to social isolation, stereotypes, loss of status, and discrimination. HIV stigma is considered a major barrier to effective responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We aimed in this study to assess the stigma among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Alexandria, Egypt. We conducted a cross-section study on 785 PLWH attending the HIV unit in Alexandria Fever Hospital. Data collection was done through an interviewing questionnaire and an Arabic-translated version of the standardized, 12-item short version of the HIV Stigma Scale. The stigma scale was highly reliable (alpha coefficient = 0.743). About 72.4% of participants had high stigma with a total stigma score of more than 30. Men showed a higher median stigma score than women (60.8% vs 23.0% respectively recorded a median score of 33 or more). The total stigma score was significantly associated with the male sex and residing in Alexandria city (p= <0.1). In conclusion, PLWH in Egypt experience a significant degree of stigma. These data can guide future health interventions to provide psychological and social support for PLWH. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study was approved by the institutional review board and the Ethics Committee of the Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors