Exploring the relationship between self-stigma and resilience among people living with HIV: a cross-sectional study

HIV is a disease that not only affects physical health but also carries a heavy psychological burden, primarily through self-stigma. Self-stigma can lead to low self-esteem, helplessness, and social isolation, weakening resilience or an individual's ability to survive and adapt to life's challenges. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the specific mechanisms by which resilience can mitigate the impact of self-stigma on PLHIV. Whether resilience can completely neutralize the effects of self-stigma or only partially is a question that still requires further answers. This study aims to find out the relationship between self-stigma and resilience among people living with HIV. This research used an observational research design using a cross-sectional approach. 150 HIV patients at Six Public Health Centre of Semarang City were involved in using purposive sampling techniques. The data was gathered using the Indonesian version of CD-RISC and the Indonesian version of the Self-Stigma Questionnaire. Spearman rank correlations were used to analyze the data. The health research ethics committee of the faculty of nursing at Universitas Islam Sultan Agung has approved this study as ethically appropriate. The results found a relationship between self-stigma and resilience where a p-value of 0.006 < α (0.05) with a contingency coefficient value of 0.222. The self-stigma and resilience have a weak correlation. Self-stigma can weaken the ability to create resilience in PLHIV, although the impact may vary depending on other factors. Nurses or health workers need to pay attention to PLHIV, who experience self-stigma, to rise and be resilient while being HIV positive.