Stigmatization, Medication Adherence and Resilience Among Recently Diagnosed People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA): A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

Aim and Objectives: To investigate the level of stigma, medication adherence and resilience among recently diagnosed people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and explore the relationship between medication adherence, stigmatization and resilience. Design/Method: This is a convergent-parallel mixed-method design involving both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The quantitative aspect utilized a cross-sectional design among 200 PLWHA at the anti-retroviral therapy clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, whereas the qualitative part entailed semi-structured, in-depth interviews of 26 PLWHA. Spearman's rho correlation was used to explore the relationship between medication adherence, stigmatization and resilience, and qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Result: Four themes emerged from the qualitative analysis, including building resilience, experiences relating to diagnosis, experiences related to treatment and factors facilitating medication adherence. Overall, 113 (57%) experienced a high level of stigma, 149 (76%) reported low medication adherence, and above average 115 (57.2%) demonstrated high resilience. Conclusion: In this study, PLWHA in Nigeria who recently received their diagnosis experienced a high level of stigma, resilience and medication adherence. However, nearly one-third of the participants were non-adherent to medication due to several reasons. This noteworthy proportion of non-adherence needs to be addressed while improving resilience and reducing stigmatization.