Do Older Adults with HIV Have Distinctive Personal Networks? Stigma, Network Activation, and the Role of Disclosure in South Africa

Abstract

This study considers whether the personal networks of older South African people living with HIV (PLHIV) differ from those without HIV. Using recent survey data (N = 5059), results suggest that PLHIV reported more core network members than their peers without HIV (IRR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03, 1.13), but were equally likely to receive emotional support from network members (1.21; 95% CI 0.93, 1.58). PLHIV who had yet to disclose their serostatus were more likely than others to have friends and other non-kin in their core network (B 0.08; 95% CI 0.02, 0.13) and to maintain networks of non-overlapping members (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.33, 3.34). Even as HIV remains highly stigmatized in South Africa, PLHIV tend to maintain relatively large and supportive networks. Still, a sizeable proportion of PLHIV do not disclose their illness-these individuals disproportionately inhabit networks marked by non-kin and by high bridging potential.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the 90–90–90 target, among people living with HIV in 12 sub-Saharan African countries — Implications for achieving the 95–95–95 target — Analysis of population-based surveys

“…This finding is in line with other studies Conducted. 4 , 5 , 6 PLHIV aged 25–34, 35–44, and 45–54-years might have had more extensive networks than those aged 15–24 years in our study, 32 related, or not, to their households’ socioeconomic status, that they leveraged to know their positive status and access ART better than younger PLHIV. More WLHIV than MLHIV tended to achieve HIV viral load suppression with percentage changes in probabilities, ranging from 3·5% ( p = 0·005) in Eswatini, to 13·9% ( p = 0·037) in Tanzania supporting the evidence.…”

Spillover Benefit of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: Evaluating the Importance of Effect Modification using an Agent-Based Model

“… 1 Dashed lines represent sexual partnerships present in both components, while solid lines represent sexual partnerships in the fully connected component only (left). Adapted from (31). …”

“…If these agents remain uninfected, for example, by adhering to a PrEP regimen, they would limit or slow the spread of infection in the population (Figure 1). Intervening on the HIV-negative agent with PrEP with no bridging potential would only protect that agent against HIV acquisition; however, intervening on the HIV-negative agent with PrEP with high bridging potential would protect that agent and the other HIV-negative agents in the component (31).…”

Spillover Benefit of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: Evaluating the Importance of Effect Modification using an Agent-Based Model

“…Dashed lines represent sexual partnerships present in both components, while solid lines represent sexual partnerships in the fully connected component only (left). Adapted from [32]. …”

“…HIV-negative agent with PrEP with high bridging potential would protect that agent and the other HIV-negative agents in the component (32). See Supplementary…”