ABSTRACT
The introduction of improved medications in the late 1990s dramatically increased the life span of many people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or who have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). What was once treated as a terminal illness now is thought of as a chronic (or long-term) condition. Unfortunately, progress in addressing the widespread social stigma surrounding HIV has lagged behind these biomedical advances. Since the beginning of the HIV pandemic, people infected with HIV and the groups they are associated with have faced stigma and discrimination from the general populace (Herek & Capatanio, 2002). The public hysteria and lack of education surrounding HIV have led to victim-blaming of those infected and the resulting stigma since has been labeled as the most important social and psychological problem associated with the HIV illness experience.
