Unseen Battles Part 4: Why Connection is at the Heart of Mental Health
Unseen Battles Part 4: Why Connection is at the Heart of Mental Health
Let's talk stigma: Join us on this journey as we explore HIV stigma written with people living with HIV for people living with HIV and their communities.
We’ve all gone through periods when we struggle or feel overwhelmed - especially around the holidays - and having someone to support you can make a big difference in times of stress. In this final blog of our series exploring internalized stigma and depression, anticipated stigma, and determinants of health, we turn our attention to the importance of social support for people living with HIV.
Social support refers to the feeling of belonging, care, and personal satisfaction that comes from our relationships with others, the function of these relationships, and their quality of support. This support can come from a variety of sources including friends, family, partners, community members, or professionals such as healthcare providers and social workers.
Support isn’t one-size-fits-all
There are different types of social support that can serve a variety of functions for a person:
· Emotional/Informational Support: Offering physical or emotional comfort, advice, or useful information
· Tangible Support: Providing material help or taking on responsibilities to help someone manage their problems
· Affectionate Support: Showing expressions of love and affection
· Positive Social Interaction: Having someone to enjoy activities with or share fun experiences
Half the battle is having someone in your corner
Social support is important for overall health and wellbeing; however, there is still a lack of understanding about how these different types of support affect the relationship between stigma and mental health. The latest study from the team at REACH Nexus examined how social support affected the relationship between internalized, enacted, and anticipated stigma and mental health using data from the People Living with HIV Stigma Index in Ontario.
The study found that people who had lower levels of social support consistently experienced poorer mental health, no matter how much stigma they faced.
On the other hand, those with more social support had better mental health overall. However, when internalized, enacted, or anticipated stigma was high, even people with strong support networks saw their mental health decline. Overall, the best mental health was seen in people who had both low levels of stigma and high levels of social support.
More support, better health — it’s that simple
These findings reinforce what the HIV community has long known – that having a network of support and feeling a sense of belonging can make a big difference toward thriving while living with HIV. Community-based organizations, support groups, and the wider HIV community can offer essential spaces for people to connect and find support.
Connection is shrinking — let’s build it back
Unfortunately, these support networks are shrinking. There’s a shift in the community toward online services which some people do not have access to and so we must fight to preserve and further develop grassroots initiatives that provide a physical space for people to get support.
There also remains a lack of funding and policies at both national and provincial levels that prioritize or promote social support. Developing these resources, in combination with stigma reduction efforts, could be an efficient and effective strategy to fully support the mental health of people living with HIV.
We would like to acknowledge the peer researchers who worked on this study and a special thank you to Michael Murphy, Anthony B, and George Da Silva for contributing to the writing of this blog and lending their lived expertise – without them, this work would not have been possible. We would also like to thank the study participants for sharing their stories and allowing us to document their personal experiences with HIV stigma.
If you or anyone you know need support with their mental health, help is available:
· If you are a person living with HIV, contact your local HIV organisation to see what social support opportunities or programming they might provide – ASO411.ca
· Mental Health Support: Government of Canada Provincial and Territorial Resources
· Canadian Mental Health Association
· CATIE: Mental and Emotional Health