'Was it a mistake to tell others that you are infected with HIV?': factors associated with regret following HIV disclosure among people living with HIV in five countries (Mali, Morocco, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador and Romania). Results from a community-based research

International audience; This study examined regret following HIV serostatusdisclosure and associated factors in under-investigatedcontexts (Mali, Morocco, Democratic Republic ofthe Congo, Ecuador and Romania). A community-basedcross-sectional study was implemented by a mixed consortium[researchers/community-based organizations (CBO)].Trained CBO members interviewed 1,500 PLHIV in contactwith CBOs using a 125-item questionnaire. A weightedmultivariate logistic regression was performed. Among the1,212 participants included in the analysis, 290 (23.9 %)declared that disclosure was a mistake. Female gender,percentage of PLHIV’s network knowing about one’sseropositivity from a third party, having suffered rejectionafter disclosure, having suffered HIV-based discriminationat work, perceived seriousness of infection score, dailyloneliness, property index and self-esteem score wereindependently associated with regret. Discrimination, aswell as individual characteristics and skills may affect thedisclosure experience. Interventions aiming at improvingPLHIV skills and reducing their social isolation mayfacilitate the disclosure process and avoid negativeconsequences.