Social support and HIV prevention among women " at risk": a qualitative study

Objective (s): HIV/AIDS transmission via sexual intercourse among women is increasing and becoming as a serious concern. Studies suggest that social support might play a role in preventing HIV related sexual behaviors. We aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of women at risk for HIV about social support.

A grounded theory methods was used for analyzing the participant's experiences and their perceptions. Twenty eight semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 women at risk of HIV/AIDS, aged 21-49 years, by purposeful sampling at voluntary counseling and testing centers or a NGO Drop in Centers (DIC) in Tehran, Iran. Qualitative analysis of the data was conducted manually and was guided by constant comparative analysis.

Results showed that social support was the essential concept for the women in term of their ability to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. Love and family support, employment, finantial support and informational needs appeard as some components of social support.

This qualitative study demonstrated the importance of considering social support from different sources for women at risk of HIV.