Mass media, stigma, and disclosure of HIV test results: Multilevel analysis in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

In this article, we examine the role of mass media and interpersonal communication in affecting knowledge of HIV/AIDS, reducing stigma, using condoms, and increasing the likelihood of disclosing HIV test results to sexual partners and family members. Data from a 2002 household survey in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa are used to measure levels of stigma, interpersonal communication, willingness to disclosure HIV test results and condom use. We use a multilevel framework that accounts for the social context in which individuals access information, gauge social norms, and make decisions about the costs and benefits of HIV testing and disclosure. The results provide support for the positive effects of both media exposure and informal social networks on ideational factors, namely changes in knowledge and stigma, which lead to behavior change. Consistent with common models of health communication dynamics, these latter factors dominate decisions regarding disclosure of HIV test results and condom use.