title: Individual Factors of Social Acceptance in Patients Infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) at the Yazd Behavioral Consultation Center in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A considerable number of patients infected with HIV also have mental health problems. Individual psychotherapy is an effective way to treat these issues. Lack of social acceptance is a barrier to patients receiving proper medication and emotional/psychological support.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the individual factors of social acceptance in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty HIV-infected patients who were registered in the Behavioral Consultation Center entered the study. Each of them filled out a questionnaire based on the Crown-Marlow social acceptance scale. Their answers were evaluated according to the questionnaire key.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-five patients (90%) were male and five (10%) were female. Their ages ranged between 28 and 52 years old. Other variables researched in this study include patients' age, sex, education, occupation, place of living, marital status, family history of HIV, and family history of psychological disorders. Employed patients experienced more social acceptance than housewives and people who were unemployed or retired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that HIV-infected patients with jobs enjoy a great deal of acceptance from the people around them and a higher quality of life in general. It also led to suggestions for further study with the purpose of finding more effective solutions for HIV prevention and better strategies for dealing with psychological disorders. Such research could also help in providing an enhanced understanding of the potential psychological impact that AIDS has on patients in Iran.
authors.affiliation: Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bidaki
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicin, Ali ebene Abitaleb Medical School of Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Mahdi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Ali ebene Abitaleb Medical School of Medicine, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrollah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bashardoust
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Molecular Medicine Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabouri Ghannad
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Ali ebene Abitaleb Medical School of Medicine, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dashti
keywords: HIV; Social Distance; Social Support; Social Values