HIV stigma takes a multidimensional toll on a mother's ability to care for herself and subsequently may impact her ability to care for her child, particularly when mother and child are seroconcordant. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to examine the association between maternal HIV stigma and child CD4 count in rural India. We assessed 108 mother-child dyads and found that a one-unit increase in community stigma fear decreased child CD4 count by 352 cells (95% CI = - 603, - 102), highlighting the need to develop a better understanding of the consequences of HIV-related stigma on the compounded burden of care in households where mother and child both live with HIV.
Keywords: Child CD4; Discrimination; Maternal HIV stigma; Seroconcordant.
© 2021. The Author(s).