title: Impact of HIV/AIDS on Social Relationships in Rural China.
abstract: Social support promotes greater medical compliance, better immune system functioning and slows the progress of HIV/AIDS. One in every 50 People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is Chinese, yet little is known about the impact of HIV/AIDS on social relationships in China. This study compares the characteristics of those who report that HIV/AIDS had a substantial impact versus a modest impact on their social relationships. We obtained data from a survey of 866 PLWHA in rural China, which was conducted in 2006-2007 in the three Chinese provinces with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were performed. The analysis shows that PLWHA who had full-blown AIDS (OR= 1.53; 95% CI=1.09-2.13) and those who were poor (OR=2.19; 95% CI=1.52-3.16) reported greater impact on their social relationships. The results lay a solid foundation for designing effective policy initiatives and intervention programs aimed at alleviating the impact of HIV/AIDS on social relationships and improving the quality of life of PLWHA.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Development and Public Policy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiulan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanko Aleong
authors.forename: Esme
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuller-Thomson