ArticleBMC public health2025
Exploring differences in HIV stigma and treatment interruptions between young and older adults in Zimbabwe.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of Social Media Use on Physical, Mental, Social, and Emotional Health, Sleep Quality, Body Image, and Mood: Evidence from 21 Countries-A Systematic Literature Review with Narrative Synthesis.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2025Pooled it
- HIV-Related Stigma in People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Portuguese Clinical Cohort.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionHIV stigma negatively impacts antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in adults, but this relationship remains underexplored within the context of early adulthood. We examined manifestations of stigma and their associations with ART interruptions among young (18-24 years) and older (25 + years) people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Zimbabwe.
methodsThis analysis utilized cross-sectional data from the 2021 PLHIV Stigma Index 2.0, implemented by the Zimbabwe National Network of PLHIV in partnership with Global Network of People Living with HIV, The International Community of Women Living with HIV, and UNAIDS. Treatment interruptions were defined as ever interrupting or stopping HIV treatment. Internalized, anticipated, and enacted stigma scores were categorized as "no", "low", "moderate" and "high". Modified Poisson regression models estimated associations between categorized stigma scores and treatment interruptions, with age-stratified analyses among young and older adults.
resultsAmong 1347 PLHIV who ever initiated ART, 20.9% of young adults and 10.3% of older adults reported treatment interruptions. Experiences of internalized stigma (56.3% versus 41.7%, p < 0.01) and anticipated stigma (73.9% versus 51.8%, p < 0.01) were higher among young adults compared to older adults. Increasing levels of internalized stigma were associated with higher lifetime incidence of treatment interruptions compared to no stigma (low: adjusted risk ratio(aRR)1.67, 95%CI 1.08-2.58, moderate: aRR2.58, 95%CI 1.72-3.87, high: aRR3.54, 95%CI 2.11-5.94). Similar associations were observed with anticipated stigma (low: aRR2.24, 95%CI 1.49-3.36, moderate: aRR3.21, 95%CI 1.82-5.66, high: aRR4.88, 95%CI 2.75-8.67). Treatment interruptions were associated with high (versus no) enacted stigma (aRR 2.75, 95%CI 1.19-6.32).
conclusionYoung adults living with HIV in Zimbabwe reported twice the lifetime incidence of treatment interruptions and greater levels of internalized and anticipated stigma compared to older adults. The associations between stigma and treatment interruptions highlight the opportunity for interventions that address stigma for young adults, which may optimize treatment adherence during early adulthood.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.