The Effect of Stress Management Training on Stigma and Social Phobia in HIV‐positive women

Abstract Objectives: This study was to investigate the effect of stress management training on the stigma and social phobia of HIV‐positive women. Methods: This semi-experimental was conducted on 55 HIV‐positive using census sampling. The participants referred to Shohada Comprehensive Health Center in Hamadan, west of Iran, in 2017. Stress management training was conducted in 5 sessions for a group of 8-10 participants. The data collection tools were Berger HIV Stigma and Connor Social Phobia Scale. The questionnaires were filled before and 2 weeks after the intervention. Results: The mean age of participants was 38.5 and the duration of HIV infection was 6.5 years. 55% of patients were married and 80% were infected by sexual intercourse. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of stigma and social phobia before and after the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusions: Stress management training has been effective in the decrease of stigma and social phobia among HIV positive women.