title: Social capital of Iranian patients living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and associated factors.
abstract: This study investigated the social capital of Iranian patients living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the associated factors. In a cross-sectional study the Integrated Social Capital Questionnaire was filled by a sequential sample of 300 patients visiting a referral counselling centre in Tehran. The patients' social capital scores were around 50% in the trust, social cohesion, collective action and cooperation and political empowerment domains. The groups and networks membership domain scored the lowest (27.1%). In regression analysis, employment status was significantly associated with groups and networks membership; age, marital status and financial status were associated with collective action and cooperation; period of disease awareness and marital status affected social cohesion and inclusion; and having risky behaviour affected empowerment and political action. Efforts are needed to enhance the social capital of those patients living with AIDS who are younger, unemployed, divorced/widowed, with risky behaviours and shorter disease awareness.
authors.affiliation: South Tehran Health Centre, School of Public Health, Knowledge Utilization Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Knowledge Utilization Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nedjat
authors.affiliation: Vienna General Hospital, Department of Dermatology and Department of Clinical Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vienna, Austria; Dermatology of Infectious Diseases, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jabbari
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saiepour
authors.affiliation: Imam Khomeini Hospital, Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Heris
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D066270:Social Capital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires