Comparison of Perceived Social Support in Drug Users of Under Methadone Treatment with and Without HIV

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceived social support in undertreatment drug users with and without HIV. This research was a causal-comparative study. The statistical population consisted of all under treatment drug users reffering to addiction treatment centers in Shiraz. The study sample included 40 undertreatment drug users suffering from HIV and 40 undertreatment drug users without HIV were selected using convenient sampling. To collect data, participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. In this research, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there were significant differences between under methadone treatment drug users with and without HIV in three dimensions of perceived social support in the area of friends, significant others and family, so that undertreatment drug users with HIV significantly scored higher on perceived social support in the area of friends, significant others and family that those without HIV. These findings suggest the importance of social support in drug-dependent individuals. Therefore, a drug-dependent individual can better adapt to his/her own problems and environment, and take steps to recover if he/she is supported by family, friends and significant others.