Abdul Salam Rayan

ABSTRACT

Rationale/Background: HIV is a virus which infects human and it decrease or weakening human’s ability to fight against infections and illness. This virus and AIDS as a syndrome not only responsible to frustrate PLHIV immunity but also responsible of psychosocial problems in them as HIV virus destroy neurons, anti-retro viral drugs further aggravate these destruction because of their cytotoxicity. PLHIV loss their daily tasks because of weakness due to drug taking and different infectious and non-infectious disease for which they are vulnerable.HIV/AIDS is a strongly stigmatize syndrome in communities and different people have different perceptions of PLHIV. Because of those misperceptions the PLHIV might diverge from community, people, family members, and friends and even from spouse. These divergence take them to psychosocial problems. Objective: The objective of this study is to find different level of psychosocial problems in different categories of PLHIV according to age, HIV positivity duration, education level, marital status etc. Method: this study is a cross sectional study and the sampling method is convenient sampling. Population: PLHIV is few in number in Afghanistan and the center from which samples collected has 800 people in database. The people are daily coming for their check up and taking drugs. The aim was to collect 100 to 150 sample but due to finite time just 130 samples collected. Time frame: the time frame for this study was five months. In one month data collector recruited and trained. As well as in this time the approved questionnaire translated and the data collector trained. Another two and half month was allocated for data collection. In last one and half month data analyzed and its report wrote in the word as report. Result: In final result the researcher found that among the selected PLHIV 67% have different level of psychosocial problems while 33% did not have. Conclusion and recommendation: Education, counselling and support needs of HIV-infected patients and their families is more. The MOPH in Afghanistan as a leading and UNAIDs, WHO, Global fund and other stakeholders have to think not only about PLHIV, virology situations but also they have to think about their psychosocial problems as well.