Can Self-affirmation Encourage HIV-Prevention? Evidence from Female Sex Workers in Senegal.

ABSTRACT: We test an intervention aiming to increase condom usage and HIV testing in a stigmatized population at high risk of contracting HIV: female sex workers (FSWs) in Senegal. Some sex work is legal in Senegal, and condoms and HIV tests are freely available to registered FSWs-but FSWs may be reluctant to get tested and use condoms, in part because doing so would entail acknowledging their risk of contracting HIV and potentially expose them to stigma. Drawing on self-affirmation theory, we hypothesized that reflecting on a source of personal pride would help participants acknowledge their risk of HIV, intend to use condoms more frequently, and take an HIV test. Prior research suggests that similar self-affirmation interventions can help people acknowledge their health risks and improve their hea

SUBMITTER: Haire S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10516782 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature