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190525 Are Stigma, Psychological Distress, or Low Social Support Associated with Low Intentions for Care-Seeking among HIV+ Caribbean Immigrants?Monday, October 27, 2008
Background
Seventy five percent of Caribbean immigrants in the US live in New York and Florida. The Caribbean population in these states has been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In New York City, Caribbean immigrants accounted for 49% of HIV diagnoses among foreign born heterosexuals in 2006. Many Caribbean immigrants face barriers to receiving HIV care in the US, including language barriers, lack of health insurance, and fear of deportation. There is evidence that psychosocial factors such as stigma, psychological distress, and social support influence the health seeking behavior of people living with HIV/AIDS and that these factors may be especially prevalent among Caribbean immigrants. Using baseline data from a multi-site peer intervention to support HIV+ Caribbean immigrants to attend regular HIV primary care, we will test three hypotheses concerning the intention to seek care: (1) higher symptoms of psychological distress are associated with lower intention (2) higher social support is associated with higher intention; and (3) higher internalized HIV-related stigma is associated with lower intention. Methods Data are from 343 participants who completed a baseline questionnaire. Descriptive statistics will be conducted to characterize the population with respect to demographic characteristics, time in the US, and time since diagnosis. We will examine the bivariate relationships among all variables with a correlation matrix. Separate linear regression models will determine the association between each of the independent variables – stigma, psychological distress, social support – and the dependent variable, intention to seek HIV primary care, controlling for potential confounders.
Learning Objectives: Keywords: Immigrants, Care Seeking
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a second year student in a Master of Public Health Program, and have taken enough courses to prepare me for presenting studies relating to Public Health. I have also have significant experience working with the Caribbean population whom im presenting on. I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.
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