Determinants of psychological well-being of people with HIV: Assessing the role of stigma and social support

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Context and relevance.</strong> The article presents an overview of contemporary international research on stigmatization of people with HIV infection and social support of HIV-infected people as determinants of psychological well-being of people with HIV infection. The article describes international experience in studying stigma of people with HIV, identifying three subcategories of stigma: social stigma (related to prejudice against people with HIV infection), health professionals’ stigma (prejudice and discrimination against patients diagnosed with HIV infection by health care providers) and self-stigma (negative beliefs and feelings, self-depreciation due to HIV diagnosis). Educational interventions to reduce HIV stigma are described. The role of social support in the psychological well-being of people with HIV is explored. Research on the psychological well-being of people living with HIV is presented. The concept of long-term success, developed by international researchers to improve long-term well-being among people living with HIV, is described. <strong>Objective.</strong> To analyze the understanding of the role of stigmatization and social support in the psychological well-being of HIV-infected people by modern foreign researchers. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> Stigmatization of HIV-infected people negatively affects their psychological well-being, while social support reduces the level of stigmatization in HIV-infected patients and increases their psychological well-being. Further studies of the determinants of psychological well-being of HIV-infected people in Russian-speaking samples are promising for further research. The data presented in this article can be used in planning research aimed at studying stigma, social support and psychological well-being among people with HIV.</p> <div class="XTranslate" style="all: unset;"> </div> <div class="XTranslate" style="all: unset;"></div>