Quantifying intersectional stigma in HIV prevention contexts: adaptation and validation of a scale among female sex workers in Namibia.

Summary: People who face unfair judgment for multiple reasons—like their job or health choices—often have a harder time getting medical care. In Namibia, researchers wanted to measure this "layered" judgment among female sex workers trying to prevent HIV. They asked 214 women about their experiences with judgment related to their work, taking HIV prevention pills (PrEP), and general unfair treatment. The researchers created a new tool that successfully measures these different layers of judgment. This tool shows that more judgment leads to less trust in doctors and more sadness. Programs can use this tool to build better, more welcoming HIV prevention services.