HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems · Published 2025-04-11 · DOI 10.5114/hivar/183136
Background Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has had far-reaching consequences for humans as a socio-medical problem. This study aimed to estimate HIV visibility by different categories of social network and their relevant factors. Material and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Markazi province of Iran. A total of 123 People living with HIV (PLWH) were recruited. A comprehensive list of relationships was provided and the extent to which the participants’ acquaintances were aware of their disease was asked. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of visibility rates was obtained through bootstrapping procedure. The potential determinants of HIV visibility were modelled with zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis. Results The visibility of HIV was estimated to be 14.8% (11.3% to 18.3%). HIV was much more visible to one’s spouse than to others (83%); HIV visibility was more for family members than non-family members, for the consanguineal family than affinal family, and for immediate family than extended family members. The duration of HIV disease, the socioeconomic status level, the transmission route and the closeness of acquaintances were the important determinants of HIV visibility. Conclusions The visibility of HIV in this study was very low. A disclosure decision is a potentially critical decision and could have negative and positive consequences. The whole society, including PLWH and other people, could benefit from interventions helping raise HIV disclosure. Moreover, there is need to adjust the estimated parameters based on the estimated HIV visibility.
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