Stigma, Perceived Social Support and Depression among People Living With HIV/AIDS in Wakiso district

Abstract

Depression is a significant contribution to the global burden of disease and people’s functioning and affects people in communities across the globe. This study aimed at examining the relationship between stigma, perceived social support and depression among PLWHA in Wakiso district. The study was cross-sectional and it employed a correlational research design. A sample of 100 respondents both males and females living with HIV/AIDS aged between 12-60 years, active on ART was selected using convenience and purposive sampling of systematic random sampling technique. Data was collected by use of self-administered questionnaires which included demographic information, HIV short stigma scale, Multidimensional scale of perceived social support and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The analysis of data was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Spearman’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (rs) was used to test the significance of the hypotheses. Results from the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between stigma and perceived social support (r =-.600, p =.000<0.01), stigma and depression (r =.540, p =.000<0.01), as well as perceived social support and depression (r =.728, p =.000<0.01) among PLWHA in Wakiso district. There is a need to mitigate stigma and increase social support in order to improve the psychological wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS especially the mental problem of depression.