title: Stigmatization of persons with HIV/AIDS in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Data about the stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Saudi Arabia are scarce. Recent statistics from Saudi Ministry of Health showed that 77% of HIV-positive Saudis were males. The present study analyzed data from 162 Saudi male college students. The findings suggest that students who knew less about HIV/AIDS were more likely to stigmatize persons living with HIV/AIDS than those who knew more. Neither degree of religiosity nor worry about HIV infection was related to AIDS stigma. However, AIDS-related shame was the best predictor of AIDS stigma. The findings of this study point to important suggestions for AIDS prevention programs in Saudi Arabia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA. abdallah.badahdah@und.nodak.edu
authors.forename: Abdallah M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Badahdah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012752:Shame; D057545:Social Stigma