HIV-Related Stigma as a Mediator of the Relation Between Multiple-Minority Status and Mental Health Burden in an Aging HIV-Positive Population

Cross-sectional analyses of 904 diverse men and women aged 50 years and older living with HIV in New York City were conducted to examine the unique experiences and needs of aging HIV-positive individuals. Using Minority Stress Theory and Syndemic Theory as guiding paradigms, the authors documented the mental health burdens of the sample with regard to depression, loneliness, and diminished psychological well-being and examined how multiple-minority status and HIV-related stigma explained these burdens. Mediation modeling demonstrated that the effects of minority stressors on mental health burden were mediated by HIV-related stigma. The mediation was significant for the overall sample and for the male subsample. Results suggest that to fully address the mental health burdens experienced by aging HIV-positive individuals, we must continue to address mental health burdens directly, and at the same time, look beyond the psychiatric symptoms to address the structural inequities faced by individuals based on their multiple-minority status.