Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Experiences Of Stigma, Social Support, And Anxiety In People Living With Hiv In South Carolina, Sarah J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

People living with HIV (PLHIV) experience numerous psychosocial stressors, including HIV-related stigma and heightened prevalence of mental health disorders such as depression, substance use disorders, and anxiety. However, limited research has investigated predictors of anxiety within this population. This study aimed to explore the relationship between HIV-related stigma and anxiety symptoms among PLHIV in South Carolina (SC) and to examine the role of social support as a mediator for this relationship. A total of 402 PLHIV receiving HIV care at large immunology center in SC completed a paper and pencil survey, reporting sociodemographic variables, as well as experiences of HIV-related …

Examining Dehumanization Of Individuals With Schizophrenia, Brianna Drake

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: Previous literature examines dehumanization of marginalized groups; though, most of this work focuses on ethnic and racial groups. Currently, there is a gap in the literature examining the extent to which people with mental illness are dehumanized. This study examined whether people with schizophrenia are dehumanized (relative to other marginalized groups, such as drug addicts). Furthermore, this research will investigate if using “person-first” language can attenuate dehumanization.

Method: Participants (n = 310) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete a measure of dehumanization and demeaning needs for each of the nine targets (i.e., self, close friend, lawyer, elderly, …

Future Orientation Among Children Affected By Parental Hiv In China: An Exploratory Analysis Of Complex Interactions, Heather L. Mcdaniel, Sayward Harrison, Amanda Fairchild, Xiaoming Li

Faculty Publications

We utilized an exploratory analytic approach to examine predictors of children's future beliefs, an internal asset associated with resilience among children affected by HIV, with emphasis on complex interactions among multisystem factors. Children (N = 1221) affected by parental HIV in China reported on psychosocial functioning, as well as internal, familial, and community resilience assets. Exploratory data analysis was conducted using a binary segmentation program. Six binary splits on predictors accounted for 22.78% of the variance in future expectation, suggesting interactions between children's perceived control of their future, loneliness, caregiver trust, and social support. Four binary splits accounted for …

“The Worst Part About My Pregnancy Was Stuff That Didn’T Have To Do With My Pregnancy”: Medicaid Beneficiaries’ Pregnancy Intentions & Experiences In South Carolina, Andrew Michael Chen

Senior Theses

Low-income women and women of color experience adverse birth outcomes at disproportionately higher rates in the United States than most people who give birth. This thesis examines individual interviews conducted with 30 low-income women whose most recent birth was covered by Medicaid, the United States’ largest means-tested public health insurance program. The aim of this thesis is to examine how the women in the study thought about pregnancy, and how they described their intentions to become or avoid becoming pregnant at various times in their life. While public health researchers often frame pregnancy as an event that is either intended …

A Resilience-Based Intervention To Mitigate The Effect Of Hiv-Related Stigma: Protocol For A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial, Xiaoming Li, Shan Qiao, Xueying Yang, Sayward Harrison, Cheuk Chi Tam, Zhiyong Shen, Yuejiao Zhou

Faculty Publications

Background: Despite decades of global efforts to tackle HIV-related stigma, previous interventions designed to reduce stigma have had limited effects that were typically in the small- to-moderate range. The knowledge gaps and challenges for combating HIV-related stigma are rooted both in the complexity of the stigma and in the limitations of current conceptualizations of stigma reduction efforts. Recent research has shown the promise of resilience-based approaches that focus on the development of strengths, competencies, resources, and capacities of people living with HIV (PLWH) and their key supporting systems (e.g., family members and healthcare providers) to prevent, reduce, and mitigate the …

Are Times A-Changin’? Exploring Current Perceptions Of Individuals Based On Sexual And Relationship Orientations, Leah Howard, Kenneth Barideaux

University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal

The purpose of this study was to explore if there were any significant differences in perceptions of couples based on their sexual orientation (heterosexual or homosexual) and their relationship orientation (monogamous or consensually nonmonogamous).

As perceptions held by individuals influence collective perceptions when they are largely held in common, there is value in capturing culturally current perceptions of individuals to assess if social shifts may be on the horizon. To measure the perceptions of individuals with regards to sexual and relationship orientation, a sample of 37 college students were instructed to read narrative paragraphs about four couples.

Participants were then …