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Clinical Psychology and Special Education
2026. Vol. 15, no. 1, 149–165
doi:10.17759/cpse.2026150110
ISSN: 2304-0394 (online)

Stigmatization of people living with HIV and awareness of HIV infection among Russians

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Russian scientists are actively studying the stigmatization of people living with HIV from the perspective of HIV-positive people themselves, but there is a lack of research on the attitudes of people living with HIV in society, which could fill the gaps in understanding the nature of HIV stigma. Objective. The aim of this study was to examine the stigmatization of people living with HIV and awareness of HIV infection, as well as their interrelationships with the belief in a dangerous world and the social and psychological distress among Russians. Methods and materials. The survey covered 774 respondents aged 18 to 77 years (M = 26.9; SD = 12.3, 75% female). All respondents completed the Russian versions of the AIDS-Related Stigma Scale (ARSS), AIDS Knowledge Scale (AKS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), and Belief in a Dangerous World Scale (BDW). Results. Absolutely tolerant attitudes towards people with HIV were held by 39% of respondents, while 61% of respondents showed varying degrees of stigma towards HIV-infected people. Awareness of HIV infection was predominantly high, but in 40% of cases respondents were mistaken about the existence of a cure (vaccine) for HIV/AIDS. Stigmatization of people living with HIV and HIV awareness were closely related to each other, as well as to Russians’ somatic and psychological distress: firstly, Russians with less HIV awareness were more strongly stigmatized as HIV-infected, secondly, Russians with more HIV awareness were more stressed and somatised, and Russians with more HIV stigmatization were less stressed and somatised. AIDS-related stigma was also more pronounced in older respondents and respondents with children. Conclusions. It is concluded that community education on HIV awareness and HIV stigma can be a health-promoting strategy.

General Information

Keywords: stigmatization, human immunodeficiency virus, HIV awareness, somatic distress, psychological distress, Russians

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2026150110

Funding. The publication was prepared within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at HSE University (grant № 25-00-033 “Development of psychosomatic research in Russia”).

Received 19.06.2025

Revised 07.10.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Koreneva, E.V., Zolotareva, A.A. (2026). Stigmatization of people living with HIV and awareness of HIV infection among Russians. Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 15(1), 149–165. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2026150110

© Koreneva E.V., Zolotareva A.A., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Elena V. Koreneva, Postgraduate Student, School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1372-6210, e-mail: elenakoreneva25@gmail.com

Alyona A. Zolotareva, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Associate Professor, School of Psychology, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5724-2882, e-mail: alena.a.zolotareva@gmail.com

Contribution of the authors

The authors contributed equally to the research, data analysis, and preparation of this manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was approved by The HSE Committee on Interuniversity Surveys and Ethical Assessment of Empirical Research (protocol No. 132, 2024/06/17).

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