Stigma experience by people living with HIV/AIDS in Jakarta

Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS are still given by the community and make them become unopen and feel ashamed if they must go to health services to get treatment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, there are restrictions on visits, examinations and screening of patients entering health services influence stigma and discrimination against PLHA, namely PLHA with decreased immunity. They become confused, afraid, worried, and anxious to face the current situation. As a result, they are reluctant to access health services for fear of being exposed. Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the stigma and discrimination experienced by PLHA. Methods: This study used a descriptive quantitative method with a cross-sectional approach. Data were collected using the purposive sampling technique and 149 respondents were obtained from October 2021 to January 2022. The data analysis technique used in this study was multivariate analysis with Logistic Regression Test. This study has passed the ethics code No. 069/KEPPKSTIKSC/VIII/2021. Results: The results of this study show that there is a significant relationship between social support and stigma (p-value 0.000). Furthermore, variables that do not have a significant relationship with stigma are gender (p-value 0.377), age (p-value 0.317), educational background (p-value 0.634), employment (p-value 0.062), marital status (p-value 0.239) and length of infection (p-value 0.940). In the multivariate analysis, it is found that the contribution of the independent variables is 18.1%. Conclusion: This study can provide input for health workers to improve education and encourage them to become friends who provide social support to PLHA, especially regarding the stigma that occurs.