ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL STIGMA OF HIV VOLUNTARY COUNSELLING AND TESTING (VCT) UTILIZATION AMONG FEDERAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the social stigma of HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) utilisation among federal university students in Northern Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, a descriptive survey research design was used. The population of the study comprised 421,436 federal university students in Northern Nigeria. The sample size of 662 respondents was drawn from the population using a multi-stage sampling procedure, which includes cluster, simple random, proportionate, and convenience sampling. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-structured closed-ended questionnaire which was validated by five (5) experts in experts in the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Department of Psychology and Counselling, and College of Medical Services in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The instrument was pilot-tested using Cronbach's Alpha, and a reliability coefficient of 0.884 was obtained. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the respondents. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics of one-sample t-test and independent sample t-test were used to test the stated hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed a significant social stigma (t = 21.247; p = 0.000) regarding HIV VCT utilisation among federal university students in Northern Nigeria, with gender-based differences in social stigma (t = 17.824; p = 0.000). The study concluded that federal university students in Northern Nigeria face high levels of social stigma regarding HIV VCT utilisation, with female students perceiving greater stigma than their male counterparts. It recommends that government, university authorities, student unions, and NGOs implement comprehensive anti-stigma campaigns and gender-sensitive outreach programs, particularly targeting female students.