INFLUENCE OF STIGMATIZATION ON PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF HIV/AIDS ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Stigmatization puts HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children at risk physically emotionally, socially and economically HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children are at higher risk of missing out in schooling, living in households with less food security, suffer anxiety and depression. The study was carried out to examine the influence of stigmatization on psychosocial well-being of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Oyo State. The descriptive survey research was adopted and a simple random sampling technique was adopted to select a total of one hundred and eleven respondents used for the study. An adapted questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.69 was used for data collection. Four research questions were raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance using Pearson moment correlation coefficient. The findings showed that stigmatization has to a large extent affected the social wellbeing of HIV/AIDS orphan and vulnerable children (r= -0.63 p.<0.05). It also showed that stigmatization has to a large exploit affected emotional stability of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (r= -0.67 p<0.05). It further showed that stigmatization has to a large extent affected access to education of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (r=-0.59 p<00.5). It was therefore recommended that government should develop policy to meet the needs of HIV orphans and vulnerable children. Non-government organizations should give material support to HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children.