The Moderating Role of Social Support on the Relationship Between Anxiety, Stigma, and Intention to Use Illicit Drugs Among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men.

The present study examined the association between anxiety, stigma, social support and intention to use illicit drugs, and the moderating role of social support on the association between anxiety/stigma and intention to use illicit drugs among 450 Chinese HIV-positive MSM. Findings show that controlling for significant background variables, self-stigma and anxiety were positively associated with intention to use illicit drugs, while social support was negatively associated with intention to use illicit drugs. A significant moderation effect of social support was also observed, that the negative association between self-stigma/anxiety and intention to use illicit drugs was only significant among participants with lower levels of social support. Findings highlight the importance of reducing self-stigma and anxiety, and promoting social support in drug use prevention for HIV-positive MSM.