Adapting the Finding Respect and Ending Stigma around HIV (FRESH)
Funded By: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Duration: August 2020-June 2023
Study Population(s):
- People with HIV
- Healthcare workers (clinical and non-clinical)
Background
There are high levels of stigma against people with HIV (PWH) in the Caribbean. HIV and intersectional stigmas in healthcare settings are significant barriers to care in the Dominican Republic (DR). There are surprisingly few intersectional stigma reduction interventions for healthcare settings. The FRESH intervention was originally developed in a study in five African nations, then was adapted for the United States. Since we have data showing that FRESH is adaptable, revising it for Spanish-speaking populations could yield scientific evidence leading FRESH to become a validated multi-region stigma-reduction intervention.
Study Aims
Aim 1
Explore sources, characteristics, and consequences of HIV-related and intersectional stigmas experienced in healthcare settings to inform the adaptation of FRESH.
Aim 2
Adapt FRESH to address stigmas in the DR.
Aim 3
Pilot-test the adapted intervention to obtain estimates of its ability to reduce stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors from healthcare workers and experiences of stigma reported by people living with HIV (primary); while exploring if FRESH has the potential to influence clinic-level HIV cascade outcomes.
