# Assessing the Association Between Internalized HIV Stigma and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women Living with HIV

> **NIH NIH F31** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $31,957

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in women living
with HIV (WLWH). WLWH show elevated CVD risk compared to both their male counterparts and HIV negative
women. Additionally, within WLWH there are racial disparities in CVD risk. Controlling for HIV-specific factors,
traditional risk factors, and social factors like poverty and substance use only partially attenuates the elevated
CVD risk in WLWH. This indicates that additional factors, such as internalized HIV stigma, may contribute to
CVD risk in WLWH. Internalized HIV stigma, defined as incorporating the negative societal attitudes and beliefs
about HIV as part of one’s self-image, is widespread among WLWH and unduly affects women and racial and
ethnic minorities. Internalized HIV stigma is a form of minority stress, and previous research has linked minority
stress to poor health outcomes and suggest a pathway through which internalized HIV stigma could contribute
to elevated CVD risk. Briefly, sustained experiences of stigma may contribute to chronically elevated systemic
inflammation, and metabolic excitation, which are associated with elevated CVD risk. Moreover, women of color
living with HIV may experience stigma from multiple sources that could have a synergistic effect leading to racial
differences in the relationship between internalized HIV stigma and CVD. The link between internalized HIV
stigma and CVD risk in WLWH remains vastly understudied, which is unfortunate as identifying key risk factors
would allow for the development of targeted interventions that address CVD risk and improve the overall health
of this population. This study will address this by assessing the association between internalized HIV stigma and
CVD risk in WLWH and testing if this relationship is moderated by race. Using data from the Center for AIDS
Research Network of Integrated Clinic Systems (CNICS) the study will: (1) determine if internalized HIV stigma
is associated with increased odds of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity in WLWH and assess the temporal
link between internalized HIV stigma and these outcomes, (2) determine if internalized HIV stigma is associated
with elevated systemic inflammation among WLWH, and (3) determine if these relationships are different for
women of color living with HIV. CNICS is a longitudinal database that tracks long term clinical outcomes among
a diverse cohort of people living with HIV and added a validated measure of internalized HIV stigma in 2016.
The analytic sample will be comprised of women who completed at least one internalized HIV stigma measure
from 2016 to 2021 (n=2090). We will conduct both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis to address the aims
above. This study aligns well with the National Institute of Nursing Research’s new strategic plan, which
prioritizes innovative and rigorous research that addresses health equity, social determinants of health, and
health promotion....

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10547856
- **Project number:** 1F31NR020587-01
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Page Sherman
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $31,957
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2023-05-05

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10547856

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10547856, Assessing the Association Between Internalized HIV Stigma and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women Living with HIV (1F31NR020587-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10547856. Licensed CC0.

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