Open AccessHIV-Related Knowledge and Stigma Among the General Population in the Southeast of Iran
Author(s) -
Mahlagha Dehghan,
Mostafa Shokoohi,
Sima Mokhtarabadi,
Fatemeh Tavakoli,
Abedin Iranpour,
Ali Ahmad Rafiei Rad,
Naser Nasiri,
Mohammad Karamouzian,
Hamid Sharifi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
shiraz e medical journal.
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.195
H-Index - 10
ISSN - 1735-1391
DOI - 10.5812/semj.96311
Subject(s) - medicine , stigma (botany) , psychological intervention , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cross sectional study , population , demography , social stigma , descriptive statistics , environmental health , psychiatry , family medicine , statistics , mathematics , pathology , sociology
Background: HIV-related stigma is a barrier to effective HIV responses among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Objectives: The current study aimed at measuring HIV-related stigma, and its associated factors among the general population in the Southeast of Iran. Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 900 individuals in Kerman, Southeast of Iran, from July to September 2016. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, including (I) demographic and background characteristics; (II) HIV-related stigma; and (III) HIV-related knowledge. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 using descriptive statistics, as well as bivariable and multivariable linear regressions. Results: Low, moderate, and high levels of stigmatizing attitudes toward PLHIV were reported by 39.1%, 57.8%, and 3.1% of the participants, respectively. Female sex(beta = 0.33, P value = 0.01) and those not having a history of HIV testing (beta = 0.45, P value < 0.001) had, on average, higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes, while those with a higher level of education (beta = -0.97, P value < 0.001) had, on average, lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes. Conclusions: Gender-sensitive educational interventions need to be developed to reduce the negative attitude towards PLHIV in Iran.