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Mental health

HIV-Related Microaggressions Linked to Depressive Symptoms in People Living with HIV

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

New research conducted in Turkiye has found that overtly experienced HIV-related stigma and microaggressions are associated with depressive symptoms among people living with HIV (PLWH). The study, published in Sexually Transmitted Infections, reveals that internalized stigma and shame-related coping strategies play a significant mediating role in this association. The findings highlight the importance of addressing negative attitudes and behaviors against PLWH in society and providing interventions to help them cope with shame-related experiences.

Key Takeaways:

  • Overtly experienced HIV-related stigma is associated with depressive symptoms among PLWH, with internalized stigma being a significant mediating mechanism (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • Microaggressions, subtle and indirect discriminatory behaviors, may also contribute to depressive symptoms among PLWH, with internalized stigma and maladaptive coping strategies being key mediators (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • Statistical analysis indicates that internalized HIV stigma significantly mediates the relationship between HIV-related microaggressions and depression symptoms, while shame-related coping strategies, such as withdrawal and self-attack, mediate the association between internalized HIV stigma and depressive symptoms (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • The study suggests that interventions aimed at addressing internalized stigma and shame-related coping strategies may improve the mental health outcomes of PLWH (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • The research was conducted among 308 PLWH in Izmir, Turkiye, and used validated scales to measure experiences of microaggressions, internalized HIV stigma, shame-related coping strategies, and depression symptoms (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).

Statistics:

  • 308 PLWH participated in the study, which was conducted in Izmir, Turkiye (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • The study used structural equation modeling to examine the mediating roles of internalized HIV stigma and shame-related coping strategies in the association between HIV-related microaggressions and depression symptoms (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).
  • The research found that internalized HIV stigma significantly mediates the relationship between HIV-related microaggressions and depression symptoms, with a beta coefficient of 0.43 (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame, 2025).

Sources:

  • Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2025;101(6):380-385.
  • NewsRx. New Data from Koc University Illuminate Findings in HIV/AIDS (Hiv-related Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With Hiv: the Mediating Roles of Internalised Stigma and Coping With Shame). Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 13, 2025; p 72.

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