Actor and partner effects of perceived HIV stigma on social network components among people living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers

Abstract

Background: Few studies have investigated the relationship between HIV stigma and social network components at the dyadic level. The objective of this study was to examine the actor and partner effects of perceived HIV stigma by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and their caregivers on social network variables at the dyadic level.

Method: An egocentric social network study was conducted among 147 dyads consisting of one PLWHA and one caregiver (294 participants) in Nanning, China. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to analyze the relationships between perceived HIV stigma and social network components (network relations, network structures, and network functions) at the dyadic level.

Results: We found in this dyadic analysis that: (1) social network components were similar between PLWHAs and their caregivers; (2) HIV stigma perceived by PLWHAs influenced their own social network components, whereas this influence did not exist between caregivers' perceived HIV stigma and their own social network components; (3) a few significant partner effects were observed between HIV stigma and social network components among both PLWHAs and caregivers.

Conclusion: The interrelationships between HIV stigma and social network components were complex at the dyadic level. Future interventions programs targeting HIV stigma should focus on the interpersonal relationship at the dyadic level, beyond the intrapersonal factors.

Keywords: Actor-Partner Interdependence Model; China; HIV stigma; egocentric social network.

Figure 1

Actor-partner interdependence model of perceived HIV stigma predicting social network components. Subscripts of variables denote whether the variable belongs to the PLWHAs or the caregivers. a_PLWHA = actor effect of PLWHAs' perceived HIV stigma on own social network variables; a_caregivers = actor effect of caregivers' perceived HIV stigma on own social network variables; p_PLWHA = partner effect of caregivers' perceived HIV stigma on PLWHAs' social network variables; p_caregivers = partner effect of PLWHAs' perceived HIV stigma on caregivers' social network variables. HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; PLWHAs: people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).