the effect of psycho-social problems on risky behaviors in people living with hiv in tehran, iran

Objective: over the past years, the prevalence and the progression rate of hiv infection in iran especially through high-risk sexual relationships have regrettably been reported at very high levels. this cross-sectional study tries to analyze stigma, mental health, and coping skills on risky behaviors in hiv-positive adults in tehran- iran. materials and methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 450 hiv-positive adults. participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the general healthquestionnaire-28, the berger hiv stigma scale as well as the lazarus ways of coping questionnaire (wocq). to analyze the data, the independent-samples t-test and pearson correlation were used. results: the findings of this study revealed that mental health, stigma, and avoidance-escape coping mechanisms were correlated with risky behaviors (p ˂ 0.05). furthermore, the amount of stigma among female individuals compared to men was reported at higher levels and mental health status in the given group was lower than among male individuals. conclusion: it seems that psychological treatment techniques could be effective in improving mental health and reducing risky behaviors.