Experiences of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Jahrom, Southern Iran: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Background: HIV/AIDS has remained a public health issue, especially in developing countries. The contributing factors to HIV/AIDS include poor access to medical care, fear, shame because of stigmatization, and lack of social support resulting in the isolation of people who share their status. Objectives: Taking a phenomenological descriptive approach, this qualitative study investigated the experiences of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Jahrom, Southern Iran. Materials and Methods: The data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews (face to face) with 21 (10 males and 11 females) participants who were referred to the Jahrom Counseling Center for Behavioral Diseases. They were selected by the purposive sampling technique according to theoretical saturation. Results: Analysis of the interview data and notes resulted in the four key themes: (I) emotional and psychological disturbances with three sub-themes: fear, depression, and feeling victimized; (II) stigma with three subthemes, including fear of being exposed, false judgment, and discrimination; (III) supportive environment with two sub-themes of family and social support; (IV) patients’ perspective of the future with three sub-themes, including hopelessness for the future, the future importance of children and hope for the future, and find a cure. Conclusions: Developing educational programs for the public can greatly increase public awareness of HIV, change attitudes and beliefs about HIV, and modify the behavior of others in dealing with PLHIV. This change of attitude creates social support and facilitates the acceptance of the infection for PLHIV.

The effect of HIV on patients’ lives: a phenomenological qualitative study

“…This stigma perpetuates the notion that individuals with HIV are somehow “undesirable” as potential partners, causing them to face additional emotional and psychological challenges in their pursuit of love and companionship (Omer et al, 2014 ). The presence of stigma towards individuals living with HIV is a consistent finding across multiple phenomenological studies (Imani et al, 2021 ; Jahromy et al, 2021 ; Sadati et al, 2019 ).…”

Structure of social networks of people living with HIV and AIDS

“…Corroborating the research findings, the family is always identified as the main component of the social network of people living with HIV and AIDS and the main source of daily support for coping with the disease (2,(11)(12)19) , because it constitutes the first space of social coexistence in which an individual is inserted, acting in a decisive way in the other relationships (20) .…”

“…In this regard, it is important to consider that the main reason for diagnosis confidentiality was the fear of prejudice, a feeling still present in the daily life of people living with HIV and AIDS, as corroborated by the findings of other studies in the area (2,19) , which show that omission takes place in different spheres, be it in the family, socially or at work.…”

“…With the diagnosis of HIV would be no different. For many people, it is a traumatic experience that can trigger psychic suffering, associated with several experiences, including fear of death and stigma ( 2 ) .…”

Quality of Life and Its Association With HIV-Related Stigma Among People Living With HIV in Kerman, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Moreover, global reports from The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that by the end of 2020, 37.7 million people were living with HIV, 1.5 million people were new cases, and 680,000 people died due to AIDSrelated diseases (UNAIDS, 2020). In 2019, it is estimated that there were more than 59,000 PLHIV in Iran (Jahromy et al, 2021). Although the life expectancy of PLHIV has improved with the availability of antiretroviral therapy, PLHIV continue to experience a low level of QoL (Arjun et al, 2017).…”