EFFECTS OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, STAGE OF ILLNESS, AND PERCEIVED STIGMA ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF A SUPPORT PERSON AMONG WOMEN WITH HIV-INFECTION

Addressing the lack of research on the social distribution of social s upport and research on the social experience of women with HIV infecti on, this article examines how sociodemographic factors, stage of illne ss, and perceived stigma affected the identification of a supportive s ocial relationship among HIV-infected women. Data were collected from women with HIV disease living in the state of Georgia. Logistic regres sion analysis indicates that after taking account of other factors, ma rital status, rural-urban residency, stage of illness, and stigmatizat ion were significant predictors of whether the women identified a supp ort person. Single status and rural residency had negative effects on the outcome. Those who were at the advanced stage of illness were less likely than those at the asymptomatic stage to identify a supportive relationship. Contrary to our expectation, stigmatization had positive effects on the outcome. implications and limitations of the analysis are discussed, followed by directions for future research.