Table 1.

Demographic characteristics of semi-structured open-ended interview participants

Stigma coping strategy	Description of stigma coping strategy	N
HIV disclosure control	Calculated decision-making about who/who not to tell about one’s HIV diagnosis.	14
Preemptive disclosure of HIV status	Intentional “voluntarily” or “involuntarily” disclosure of one’s HIV status before others find out in another way.	10
Educating oneself and others about HIV	Building an understanding about HIV for oneself and/or sharing this knowledge with others.	9
Viewing HIV as a chronic and manageable condition	Viewing HIV as a controllable illness that you manage over time, rather than an acute death sentence.	12
Looking to family, friends, or partners for support	Creating a social network of others who are accepting and supportive of the participant and their HIV-positive status.	15

^*= missing data