ResearchProjects

This study utilized the ‘what matters most’ approach to develop a culture-specific intervention to decrease stigma of HIV and enhance adherence to antiretroviral treatment among pregnant, HIV+ women in Botswana.

Abstract on NIH RePORTER

Poku OB, Eschliman EL, Entaile P, Rampa S, Mehta H, Tal D, Silvert L, Li T, Becker TD, Govindasamy D, Stockton MA, Adedimeji A, Adedimeji A, Blank MB, Dangerfield DT, Yang LH, Murray SM (2023).
“It’s better if I die because even in the hospital, there is a stigma, people still gossip”: Gossip as a culturally shaped labeling process and its implications for HIV-related stigma in Botswana
AIDS and Behavior, 27 (8), 2535-2547. doi: 10.1007/s10461-023-03980-x. PMCID: PMC10350478.

Poku OB, Becker TD, Rampa S, Misra S, Ho-Foster AR, Entaile P, Tay C, Choe K, Arscott-Mills T, Blank MB, Opondo PR, Yang LH (2022).
Theory-driven, multi-stage process to develop a culturally-informed anti-stigma intervention for pregnant women living with HIV in Botswana
International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 11 (2), e569. doi: 10.21106/ijma.569. PMCID: PMC9617017.

Yang LH, Eschliman EL, Mehta H, ..., Blank MB (2022).
A pilot pragmatic trial of a “what matters most”-based intervention targeting intersectional stigma related to being pregnant and living with HIV in Botswana
AIDS Research and Therapy, 19 (1), 26. doi: 10.1186/s12981-022-00454-3. PMCID: PMC9219368.

Yang LH, Poku OB, Misra S, Mehta HT, Rampa S, Eisenberg MM, Yang LS, Dai Cao TX, Blank LI, Becker TD, Link BG, Entaile P, Opondo PR, Arscott-Mills T, Ho-Foster AR, Blank MB (2021).
Stigma, structural vulnerability, and “what matters most” among women living with HIV in Botswana, 2017
American Journal of Public Health, 111 (7), 1309-1317. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306274. PMCID: PMC8493151.

Misra S, Mehta HT, Eschliman EL, Rampa S, Poku OB, Wang WQ, Ho-Foster AR, Mosepele M, Becker TD, Entaile P, Arscott-Mills T, Opondo PR, Blank MB, Yang LH (2021).
Identifying “What Matters Most” to men in Botswana to promote resistance to HIV-related stigma
Qualitative Health Research, 31 (9), 1680-1696. doi: 10.1177/10497323211001361.

Yang LH, Ho-Foster AR, Becker TD, Misra S, Rampa S, Poku OB, Entaile P, Goodman M, Blank MB (2021).
Psychometric validation of a scale to assess culturally-salient aspects of HIV stigma among women living with HIV in Botswana: Engaging “What Matters Most” to resist stigma
AIDS and Behavior, 25 (2), 459-474. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-03012-y. PMCID: PMC8530255.

Becker TD, Ho-Foster AR, Poku OB, Marobela S, Mehta H, Cao DTX, Yang LS, Blank LI, Dipatane VI, Moeng LR, Molebatsi K, Eisenberg MM, Barg FK, Blank MB, Opondo PR, Yang LH (2019).
“It’s when the trees blossom”: Explanatory beliefs, stigma, and mental illness in the context of HIV in Botswana
Qualitative Health Research, 29 (11), 1566-1580. doi: 10.1177/1049732319827523. PMCID: PMC7577021.