Abstract

Understanding intersectional stigma—the negative, synergistic effect of overlapping, stigmatized identities—is thought to be a critical component for ending the HIV epidemic. HIV disproportionately affects communities with intersecting, stigmatized identities, including young, Black and Hispanic, sexual minority men and trans women. Though links have been established with many factors associated with HIV acquisition, such as socioeconomic status, PrEP uptake, mental health, and substance use, questions remain on effectively measuring stigma in the context of HIV prevention among intersectional communities. Notably, there has yet to be an assessment of the direct impact of intersectional stigma on HIV acquisition itself. This project evaluates several measures of self-reported, intersectional and single-dimensional, stigma, stress, and discrimination for predicting risk of HIV seroconversion in a cohort of young, Black and Hispanic, sexual minority men and trans women. Ideally, this work will provide empirical justification for choosing measures of stigma when designing studies and interventions.