Disclosure of HIV Status to Sexual Partners Among People With HIV in Singida Regional Referral Hospital of Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Alex Gabagambi Alexander, Michael Relf, Hayden B Bosworth and 2 others
PMID 39105516WHAT IT FOUND
In a Tanzanian HIV clinic, 78.2% of people living with HIV disclosed their status to a sexual partner.
Disclosure was more common when partners lived together, knowledge was high, or the partner had HIV; stigma was linked to less disclosure.
Key findings
0178.2% of participants disclosed HIV status to a sexual partner, and 72% of those who disclosed did so within 1 month of initial diagnosis.
02After adjustment, participants living with sexual partners, with high knowledge of disclosure, or with a sexual partner who had HIV had higher odds of disclosure, while disclosure-related stigma was associated with lower odds.
03Among participants who had disclosed their HIV status, 62% reported having depression, 20% reported being blamed or beaten, 18% reported being divorced, and 12% reported being stigmatized.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that living with a partner, knowledge, stigma, or partner HIV status caused disclosure, or that disclosure caused any outcome. Participants were recruited by convenience from one hospital HIV clinic, and people who had mutually tested with partners were excluded, so the results may not apply to other settings or to people who test together. Disclosure and outcomes were self-reported, so answers may be biased by what participants thought was acceptable to say to clinic staff. The analysis did not include substance use, family income, or residence, and some participants came from faraway villages to avoid local registration, which could affect disclosure. The study included only people already engaged in HIV care and on antiretroviral therapy for at least 3 months, so it says little about newly diagnosed or disengaged patients.
Declared interests
The authors reported no real or perceived conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the adjusted odds ratios as proof that living with a partner, high knowledge, or a partner with HIV causes disclosure, or that disclosure caused depression, blame, divorce, or stigma. This was a cross-sectional convenience survey with self-reported answers, so it shows associations at one time, not cause and effect.