{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T06:59:03Z","timestamp":1789541943551,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,24]],"date-time":"2023-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1692835200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000025","name":"National Institute of Mental Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R34MH110325"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R34MH110325"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000025","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["P30AI027763 (NIAID)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P30AI027763 (NIAID)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["K01DK107335 (NIDDK)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K01DK107335 (NIDDK)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>HIV-related stigma can affect health by compromising coping and social support. Gender differences in stigma experiences and social support are underexplored, particularly in the Caribbean. We conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 32) with patients at two HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic. Transcripts were coded using qualitative content analysis (deductive and inductive approaches) to identify themes regarding stigma experiences and social support, which were then compared across men and women participants to identify gender differences. While both men and women described experienced stigma, including verbal abuse, men\u2019s experience of stigma were subtler and women described outright rejection and instances of physical violence, including intimate partner violence. Both men and women described job discrimination, but women described severe disempowerment as well as permanent loss of income and\/or employment whereas men described temporary changes in employment and \/or decrease in income. Men and women described modifying behavior due to anticipated stigma, but only women discussed isolating themselves and discomfort taking HIV medication in front of others. Regarding internalized stigma, both men and women described shame, guilt, and depression over their HIV status, though these experiences were more common among women. Women\u2019s experiences prevented health care seeking and included suicidality, while men sometimes blamed women for their HIV status and expressed a desire to \u201cmove on\u201d and \u201clook ahead.\u201d Both men and women described receiving financial support from family and friends, community support from neighbors, governmental support, and support from other people living with HIV. Women most frequently discussed receiving support from family and friends and using religiosity to cope, whereas men referenced general family support and government benefits and were less forthcoming about personal relationships and social networks, oftentimes not disclosing HIV status to others. The social context of HIV-related stigma affects women and men differently with physical and mental health impacts and may require distinct mitigation approaches.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0290228","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,24]],"date-time":"2023-08-24T17:29:09Z","timestamp":1692898149000},"page":"e0290228","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["Exploring gender differences in HIV-related stigma and social support in a low-resource setting: A qualitative study in the Dominican Republic"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7736-9557","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alane","family":"Celeste-Villalvir","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denise D.","family":"Payan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gabriela","family":"Armenta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kartika","family":"Palar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amarilis","family":"Then-Paulino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ram\u00f3n","family":"Acevedo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Altagracia","family":"Fulcar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7742-6024","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kathryn P.","family":"Derose","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0290228.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-019-1250-8","article-title":"A scoping review of health-related stigma outcomes for high-burden diseases in low- and middle-income countries","volume":"17","author":"JC Kane","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Med"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0290228.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1410","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-010-9781-1","article-title":"Risk factors for medication non-adherence in an HIV infected population in the Dominican Republic","volume":"15","author":"J Harris","year":"2011","journal-title":"AIDS Behav"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0290228.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1177\/2325957413514630","article-title":"Evaluation of an HIV adherence counseling program in La Romana, Dominican Republic","volume":"13","author":"MC Winter","year":"2014","journal-title":"Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0290228.ref004","article-title":"Stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV in the context of families, communities, and healthcare settings: A qualitative study in Indonesia","volume":"18","author":"NK Fauk","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"3 Suppl 2","key":"pone.0290228.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18640","DOI":"10.7448\/IAS.16.3.18640","article-title":"Impact of HIV-related stigma on treatment adherence: Systematic review and meta-synthesis","volume":"16","author":"IT Katz","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Int AIDS Soc"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"pone.0290228.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S19","DOI":"10.1097\/QAD.0000000000002587","article-title":"What shapes resilience among people living with HIV? 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