Moral foundations and HIV-related stigma in Spain: examining moralization as a key mechanism

HIV-related stigma remains a persistent barrier to the well-being of people with HIV. Drawing on Moral Foundations Theory, we conducted two studies in Spain to explore how individualizing (particularly care) and binding (particularly purity) foundations contribute to HIV-related stigma, and whether this relationship is mediated by the moralization of HIV. In Study 1, binding foundations were associated with higher levels of HIV moralization and HIV-related stigma, while individualizing foundations predicted lower levels of both. In Study 2, we contrasted care- versus purity-based moral framing and assessed the moralization of HIV and several measures of HIV-related stigma, as in Study 1. Participants exposed to messages emphasizing the social benefits of purity (vs. care) were more likely to moralize HIV and express negative attitudes toward people with HIV; however, neither framing condition differed from the control condition. Moreover, indirect effects indicated that purity framing may heighten HIV-related stigma through increased moralization of HIV. These findings suggest that moral concerns - particularly purity - contribute to HIV-related stigma by imbuing HIV with moral significance. We discuss the implications for HIV stigma-reduction strategies.