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“They told me that they still love me, they pray for me. I alwaysencourage to my wife”(Male, 29yrs, Primary education, Refugee)Among friends, particularly those who have the same problem, they are easily acceptable.However, being honest with one’s HIV status also render problem, for example, rejectionfrom friends and colleagues.“People that we mix with are drug addicts and they are our only friends. Itdoesn’t affect our relationship and I think most of them also HIV positive.Sometimes, we tend to think that drug addicts are more acceptable. Theyaccept you openly. In fact, prison mates and the Serentiinmates…ah…they can accept you even you are HIV positive. Even youare AIDS. Because if you go to these centre, you don’t see themostracizing. The HIV/AIDS patient, they have got no prejudice aroundthese things. They are the birds of the same feather”(Male, 44yrs, Upper secondary education, DU)“You know like my case, when I was isolated, you know, when I wasrejected by my colleagues, working colleagues because I was working andeverything now for me tell people who, you know, normal people who arenot HIV and everything to tell them I am HIV and everything is I have tothink 2-3 times. The painful experience that we have gone through bybeing honest by telling that I’m HIV and everything”(Male, 36yrs, Upper secondary education, DU)Some of the participants will shy away from social relationships and interactions, for fearof exposing their status or being asked too many questions about themselves or theirhealth status. Thus, social relationships are avoided.“I seldom meet my friends…worried they will spread and tell others. I goout with them if they look for me, or else I won’t take initiative to findthem. They said why I’m so think, do I do diet and take weight lossmedicine. But, I tell them I am not. I never go anywhere since have thisdisease because friends always keep asking why I look thin”(Female, 34yrs, Primary education, Infected Partner)“When we meet friends, ask how are you...they ask many, manyquestions, so, we don’t like give them the answer. We don’t know how togive them an answer. I moved back to kampong. I hide from others, fromthe town people. Lebih baik jangan berkawan (better not make anyfriends)”(Female, 40yrs, Lower secondary education, SW)Psychological and emotional impactPeople living with HIV/AIDS faced significant impact on their psychological well-being.This psychological impact comes from various sources, from disclosure and itsconsequences, from silencing themselves, from stigma and discrimination that theyexperienced, worries about their health, impending death and from their own personal55