Stigma, Discrimination and Expression of Discriminatory Behaviors of Nursing Students in Dealing with AIDS Patients

Different beliefs and attitudes of individuals sometimes lead to different forms of stigma and discrimination against a group with different beliefs. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of stigma and discrimination and to express the discriminatory practices of nursing students of Urmia Islamic Azad University in the face of HIV / AIDS patients.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 90 nursing students of 5th and 6th semesters of Islamic Azad University of Urmia were selected by census and examined using a questionnaire of behavior and professional care of patients with AIDS. SPSS 16 software and descriptive statistical tests were used to analyze the data.

76.7% believed that they could refuse to provide services to AIDS patients in order to maintain their health and that of their families. 55.5% of students considered fear of infection as the most important concern in the care treatment of AIDS patients. 7.8% of students stated that they refused to provide care treatment to an AIDS patient.

Increasing the stigma and discrimination of nursing students towards AIDS patients can be due to fear of infection and lack of preventive measures.