HIV-Related Stigma Moderates the Relation Between Perceived Susceptibility and HIV Testing Intention Among Heterosexual (but Not Sexual Minority) College Students

Abstract

HIV-related stigma remains a considerable barrier to engaging at-risk populations in HIV testing and prevention programs. We assessed the moderating role of HIV-related stigma on the relation between perceived susceptibility to HIV and HIV testing intention among college students. We hypothesized that the moderating role of HIV-related stigma would be differential between heterosexual and sexual minority college students. We administered a survey focused on HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in spring 2016 (N = 2,159). We used multigroup path analysis to analyze the hypothesized moderation. HIV-related stigma moderated the relation between perceived susceptibility and testing intention for heterosexual but not sexual minority college students. Specifically, higher HIV-related stigma decreased the association between perceived susceptibility and testing intention. These results demonstrate the importance of priority population segmentation for HIV testing campaigns.