Stigma, Discrimination, and the Consequences of HIV-AIDS for People Living With It in Iran

There is evidence that a significant proportion of People Living with HIV (PLWH) still deal with stigma and discrimination in their everyday life. The social factors attached to HIV/AIDS are a major obstacle in the curtailment of the disease requiring urgent action. This qualitative study explored perceptions of PLWH regarding HIV/AIDS Consequences in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were held with a purposively selected group of PLHIV recruited from three HIV care clinics in Tehran. All interviews were recorded and typed, and the codes were extracted after reviewing them several times Data were analyzed using the content analysis approach. In this study 34 participants were interviewed. Of the participants, 26 were HIV-positive, 22 of which were men and four women.. In addition, five healthcare workers and three wives of HIV-patients were interviewed. Participants were referred to the following consequences: Social, mental, physical and economic. Most of the participants named social outcome (discrimination and stigma) as the most important consequences for HIV/AIDS. The most important outcome of mentioned by the HIV-positive patients, healthy spouses, and healthcare workers was social consequence (discrimination and stigma). We need effective strategies to reduce HIV stigma as treatment and care resources are scaled up in the settings that are most heavily impacted by the HIV epidemic. [Homeira Fallahi, Sedigheh Sadat Tavafian, Farideh Yaghmaie, Ebrahim Hajizadeh. Stigma, Discrimination, and the Consequences of HIV-AIDS for People Living With It in Iran. Life Science Journal. 2011;8(4):503-510] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.