Battling Stigma for Service Engagement Among Women With HIV in Vietnam

Women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) bear HIV stigma layered with gender disparity. They continue to suffer from internalized shame, which compromises their mental health and discourages them from seeking healthcare. Stigma among WLHA has the most detrimental impact on WLHA in Asian Countries, such as Vietnam, due to the deeply rooted male supremacy in the culture. The objective of this study is to investigate Vietnamese WLHA's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to stigma, and test strategies to address the adverse impact of stigma on WLHA's health and service seeking. This proposed 2-year study, which will be conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam, will proceed in two phases.

In Phase 1, we will conduct formative studies, including in-depth interviews with 30 WLHA, one focus group with 10 healthcare providers, and one focus group with 10 community stakeholders. The aim of the formative study is to explore the cultural and contextual background of HIV stigma and gender disparity in Vietnam, investigate WLHA's barriers to access healthcare, identify locally available resources to combat stigma, and solicit feedback on some of the potential stigma-reduction intervention strategies. Phase 1 findings will inform the strategies to be pilot tested in Phase 2.

In Phase 2, the intervention will be piloted among 90 WLHA. The WLHA participants will be recruited from HIV testing sites, HIV outpatient clinics, obstetrics/maternity clinics, community-based organizations, and women's associations in Hanoi. The pilot testing period will be approximately six months. During the first month (Month 1), the WLHA will attend a group session to build initial contact with each other and prepare for the following online activities. During the preparation session, online support groups will be established using popular local socializing applications (e.g., Facebook). There will be approximately 30 WLHA in each online group. During the following three months (Month 2-4), study investigators will deliver stigma reduction intervention in the online groups, with focuses to address cognitive process of societal stigma, adjust negative emotional responses to stigma, and promote positive coping and active services seeking. During the final two months (Month 5-6), WLHA will continue the discussion and mutual support activities in the online groups without the intervention of study investigators. The online discussions will serve as process data to inform the usability and sustainability of the intervention. WLHA participants will be surveyed at baseline, 4-, and 6-month to assess their cognitive, emotional, behavioral responses to stigma, perceived social support, service utilization, and physical/mental health. In addition, final focus groups will be organized with participating WLHA to collect feasibility/acceptability evaluations and feedback for intervention components. The information will be used to refine the intervention and its implementation plan.