Article
Life Lessons from Women with HIV: Mutuality, Self-Awareness, and Self-Efficacy
AIDS Patient Care and STDs
(2016)
Abstract
Women with HIV in the United States cope with multiple traumas that influence adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and well-being. Narrative themes from three life turning points and a projective story task were compared for two groups of women with HIV (HIV well-managed vs. HIV not well-managed, matched on demographics and narrative word count) to understand predictors of successful outcomes. The well-managed group (n = 10) was virally suppressed and reported ≥95% ART adherence; the not well-managed group (n = 10) had detectable viral load and reported <95% ART adherence. Women were predominantly African American with low socioeconomic status and averaged 46.51 years. A three-stage coding process (with coders blind to group status in stages 1 and 2) involved (1) line by line thematic analyses that generated 155 subthemes reflecting six content areas (interpersonal relationships; culture and community; sense of self; relationship to past, present, and future experiences; self-care; and motivators for change); (2) absence/presence of the 155 subthemes was compared for the two groups; the frequency of 37 subthemes was found to significantly differ; and (3) the 37 differentiating subthemes were conceptually integrated, revealing that the well-managed group's narratives more frequently reflected (a) mutuality (growth-fostering relationships involving reciprocal care and empathy); (b) self-awareness (recognition of personal strengths and weaknesses and multiple factors contributing to life choices and trajectories); and (c) self-efficacy (active coping, self-advocacy, and utilizing resources). Implications for treatment and interconnections among themes are discussed, emphasizing the factors that enable women to care for themselves and others.
Keywords
- Antiretroviral therapy,
- Self-efficacy,
- Women with HIV,
- Self-awareness
Disciplines
Publication Date
June 10, 2016
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1089/apc.2016.0031
Publisher Statement
Copyright© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.
Citation Information
Leslie R. Brody, Dana C. Jack, Dana L. Bruck-Segal, Elizabeth G. Ruffing, et al.. "Life Lessons from Women with HIV: Mutuality, Self-Awareness, and Self-Efficacy" AIDS Patient Care and STDs Vol. 30 Iss. 6 (2016) p. 261 - 273 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dana_jack/35/