Assessment of Perceived Social Support among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Lahore

HIV/AIDS cases are on rise in Pakistan at one of the fastest rates in Asia. People living with HIV/AIDS face numerous problems directly affecting the treatment outcome along with other aspects of their lives. One such factor is social support which directly affects the quality of life and treatment outcome of people living with HIV/AIDS. Objective: To explore the perceived social support available in people living with HIV/AIDS. Methods: This cross-sectional research studied 300 individuals living with HIV/AIDS and seeking treatment from Antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres of Punjab Aids Control Program in Lahore. The participants were selected through nonprobability purposive sampling technique from the Punjab Aids Control Program treatment centers and included males (77%), females (17 %) and transgenders (5 %). Social support was measured through Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) Urdu version. Results: Participants scored highest on family social support and lowest on friends social support from subscale. The scores on social support taken from three main sources indicate the medium levels and composite score reveal high levels of social support. Family and friends subscales show significant variations in scores across gender. Income and employment status revealed the same pattern of association with all types of social support. However, age, gender, marital status and family style showed varying pattern of association. Conclusions: Findings provided insights into perceived social support of people living with HIV/AIDS in Lahore and also identified a set of factors associated with social support.