Background mHealth interventions offer significant potential to reduce internalised stigma among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These digital tools offer private, accessible and culturally adaptable support to address self-stigmas related to mental illness, HIV and internalised homonegativity. Objective This narrative review explores mHealth interventions targeting self-stigma related to mental illness, HIV and internalised homonegativity, using the behavioural intervention technology (BIT) model as a guiding framework. Design Narrative review. Methods Studies on digital interventions addressing internalised stigma in the context of HIV, mental health and sexual identity were identified and synthesised. The BIT model guided the analysis of intervention content, theoretical underpinnings and technical features. Results Most interventions lacked a clear theoretical framework, culturally tailored content, and detailed reporting of behaviour change strategies and technical design—factors limiting scalability and effectiveness. Conclusion Future interventions to reduce internalised stigma among MSM living with HIV in LMICs employing mHealth tools should be grounded in theory, culturally relevant messaging, with clearly specified innovative technical features.
Dlamini et al. (Sun,) studied this question.