Determinants of quality of life among people living with HIV in the hilly region of Myanmar

Adaptation and validation of a culturally adapted HIV stigma scale in Myanmar

“…HIV has become one of the major public health challenges contributing to high disease burden globally, especially for low- and middle-income countries such as Myanmar [ 1 ]. After Thailand, Myanmar has the second-highest HIV prevalence in Southeast Asia: 0.8%.…”

“…Currently, there are limited social support systems in Myanmar for PLWHA. As a result of their serostatus, many PLWHA encounter stigma and discrimination from their family, community, and healthcare systems [ 1 , 12 , 14 ]. One study evaluating hospital accessibility in Myanmar found that PLWHA were relegated to segregated waiting areas and wards after their HIV serostatus was discovered [ 15 ].…”

“…However, efforts to reduce HIV-related stigma have not yet matched the magnitude of the problem [ 20 ]. The clear lack of evidence on how to reduce the stigma of PLWHA in Myanmar might be because of the lack of valid tools to evaluate HIV stigma [ 1 ].…”

“…This may lead to the difference stigma experience of PLHIV. Thus, the HIV stigma scale, which was developed in the United States needs to be adapted and tested to ensure its sensitivities for use in other cultural contexts [ 1 ]. In other words, HIV-related stigma is culturally specific and influenced by local cultural beliefs [ 20 ].…”

“…Myanmar, which lies on the Southeast Asian mainland bordered by Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, and Thailand, has a rich history influenced by British expansionism in the 19th and early 20th centuries [ 28 ]. Ethnically, Myanmar is a multi-religious country that includes communities of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Catholics [ 1 ]. These local religious ideologies provide the framework around which individuals and society interpret and address their suffering from chronic illnesses such as HIV and mental disorders [ 28 ].…”