Psychosocial intervention in emergency contexts for people living with HIV/AIDS in Colombia

The objective is to understand how psychosocial support can be both preventive and rehabilitative. A systematization of a psychosocial intervention with people living with HIV/AIDS was carried out, which made it possible to visualize the repercussions generated by the pandemic and the confinement measures, adopted to mitigate Covid-19, on the physical, social and mental health of the participating subjects. In total, 63 people in vulnerable situations due to being immigrants or sex workers were characterized and attended to. The results show that discrimination and prejudices towards people living with HIV/AIDS intersect with the stigmatization of sex workers, as well as xenophobic value judgments and those related to nationality and class conditions. It is essential that HIV/AIDS care services consider not only medical and pharmacological care, but also psychosocial care, which plays a fundamental role in addressing factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, and social stigma that people with HIV/AIDS often face and that can decrease their adherence to antiretroviral treatment.