Perceived HIV stigmatization and association with cervical screening adoption among HIV-positive women in a Nigerian Secondary Health Facility: Implications for psychological interventions

Abstract

HIV-positive women are at risk of cervical cancer, but many barriers hinder them from adopting cervical screening. Therefore, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted to explore perceived HIV stigmatization and association with cervical screening adoption in a sample of HIV-positive women who never screened for cervical cancer. It was found that participants who had not disclosed their HIV status to others did not experience perceived HIV stigmatization. Further, perceived HIV stigmatization did not hinder cervical screening adoption due to assertiveness among participants. Those who had not experienced perceived HIV stigmatization due to non-status disclosure were unaware of their susceptibility to cervical cancer. Some participants who had not experienced perceived HIV stigmatization were aware of cervical cancer but were reluctant to screen due to religion-related denial. Some participants who experienced perceived HIV stigmatization perceived that the experience hindered cervical screening adoption. Our findings will inform psychological interventions that may strengthen cervical screening adoption in this patient group.