Recruitment managers’ emotional intelligence and employment discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS: The mediating role of stigma

Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of stigma on relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and employment discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Participants included 1 112 recruitment managers (female = 49%, senior managers = 68%) drawn from both private (n = 530) and public sector (n = 582) organisations in South-Western, Nigeria. Stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that high EI predicted lower levels of stigma and employment discrimination against PLWHA. Lower stigma against PLWHA mediated the relationship between EI and employment discrimination, reducing the likelihood of discrimination against PLWHA. High EI in recruitment managers may lower employment discrimination against PLWHA through higher self-awareness of risk for stigmatising.