Health | The stigmatization of HIV-positive people has an impact on their cognition

A new study has shown a direct link between the number of oppressive and discriminatory acts reported by HIV-positive men and their cognitive test scores.

A study, conducted by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in Canada and McGill University, tested 512 HIV-positive white men to uncover the link between stigma and cognition.

The participants first had to answer a questionnaire in which they expressed the number of discriminating and stigmatizing acts they had been confronted with. In a second step, they had to pbad cognitive tests measuring the memory and the attention.

The researchers then compared the results of the cognitive tests with those of the questionnaires. It was found that the stigmatization of HIV-positive people had a direct impact on their cognitive tests and their anxiety. A situation that leads them to reduce their participation in social activities, and which has a negative impact on their cognitive functions in everyday life (decision-making, perception, attention …).

This study is the first to show a direct link between stigma and cognitive performance in HIV-positive people. For researchers, the mechanisms by which stigma affects cognition are varied. This can be a chronic stress that has direct effects on the brain, or internalized negative beliefs that have a harmful psychological impact.

This study proves that the stigmatization of HIV-positive people has a direct physical and psychological impact, and stresses the need for intervention to erase it.