PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND FAMILIAL PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN IRAN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

摘要

Background: HIV/AIDS is one of the diseases which not only makes threats to physical health, but also, due to the negative attitudes of people and the social stigma, affects the emotional andsocial health of patients. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological, social, and familyproblems of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Iran.Methods: In this qualitative study, we used purposive sampling to enroll PLWHA, their families, and physicians and consultants in two cities of Kermanshah and Tehran. Each group of PLWHA, their families, physicians, and consultants participated in two focus group discussions (FGDs), anda total of eight FGDs were conducted. Six interviews were held with all key people, individually.Results: Based on the views and opinions of various groups involved in the study, the mainproblems of PLWHA were: Ostracism, depression, anxiety, a tendency to get revenge and lackof fear to infect others, frustration, social isolation, relationship problems, and fear due to thesocial stigma. Their psychological problems included: Marriage problems, family conflict, lack offamily support, economic hardships inhibiting marriage, and social rejection of patient’s families.Their family problems were: Unemployment, the need for housing, basic needs, homelessness, and lack of social support associations.Conclusions: It seems that the identification and focusing on psychological, social, and familyproblems of affected people not only is an important factor for disease prevention and control, but also enables patients to have a better response to complications caused by HIV/AIDS.