The Role of Perceived Stigma and Social Support in Predicting the Quality of Life in Adult Patients living with HIV/AIDS attending ART centre in a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background: HIV/AIDS remains an international public health concern causing enormous morbidity and mortality. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved the outlook for patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), many still face psychosocial challenges that negatively impact their quality of life (QOL). HIV related perceived stigma and social support have a bearing on their QOL. Aims and Objectives: To assess the QOL of PLWHA attending an ART centre in Jammu, India and to assess the role of perceived stigma and social support in predicting QOL in this population. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the ART centre of Government Medical College, Jammu for 8 months. A sample of 300 PLWHA was selected using a convenience sampling strategy. Data was collected using questionnaires assessing socio-demographic profile, QOL (POZQOL), perceived stigma (12-item short version of the HIV stigma scale), and perceived social support (MSPSS). Results: Mean scores for various domains of QOL i.e. Psychological, Social, Health concerns and Functional were 10.79±3.76, 10.18±3.70, 8.81±3.16 and 10.76±3.35 respectively. Perceived Stigma and social support were found to be significantly correlated with all QOL domains. Conclusion: QOL of PLWHA was enormously influenced by various socio-demographic factors, stigma, and perceived social support. Targeted interventions to reduce stigma, strengthen social support systems can improve QOL for PLWHA.