Heterosexual couples confronting the challenges of HIV infection

Abstract

Couples confronted with HIV infection face significant challenges. Little is known about the impact of HIV on heterosexual couples who account for the vast majority of cases worldwide and an increasing proportion of cases in the USA, especially among women. In this study, analysis of data collected on HIV-discordant couples participating in a ten-week support group revealed four major groups of issues: (1) dealing with the emotional and sexual impact on the relationship; (2) confronting reproductive decisions; (3) planning for the future of children and the surviving partner; and (4) disclosure of the HIV infection to friends and family. These findings have implications for the design of interventions to enhance adaptation to HIV for discordant couples.

Couple-Focused Interventions for HIV-Serodiscordant Couples During Transition to Motherhood

“…In qualitative research, this is also the most common theme echoed by HIV-infected women (Beckerman 2002;Persson et al 2006;Sanders 2008;vanDevanter et al 1999). After achieving pregnancy, the potential harm to health, the wait and uncertainty about the fetus, and the possibility of an HIV-infected child are jointly too much for most women to deal with singlehandedly and may impact dramatically their psychological wellbeing.…”

“…During the transition to parenthood the marital relationship serves as the principal support system (Belsky 1984), and also has been associated with both women's and men's psychological adjustment. This relationship is particularly important when HIV is a fact given that relatively often the partner is the only one who knows about the infection and thus is the primary source of support (VanDevanter et al 1999). The risk of transmission to the fetus during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding Interventions available to prevent mother-to-child transmission Infant feeding options: advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding…”

“…For most couples, when sex is seen as being the cause of the HIV/AIDS problem, it is difficult for couples to resume intimate contact (Kasiram et al 2006). Discussing safer sex can be distressing, even with a regular partner who is aware of the infection, because it is a constant reminder of the presence of the disease (Hedge 2005;VanDevanter et al 1999). For instance, when addressing sexuality issues with these couples it is also important to stress the notion that while antiretroviral therapy may greatly reduce the risk of vertical transmission, short-course regimens initiated at pregnancy do not alter the risk of horizontal transmission to the uninfected partner (Guthrie et al 2010).…”

“…Among these challenges, sexual transmission followed by mother-to-child transmission (also known as vertical transmission) are the main risks that couples face when considering reproduction and parenthood (van der Straten et al 1998;VanDevanter et al 1999).…”

La contribution des personnes vivant avec le VIH-sida au renouvellement de la prévention1

“…Pour le deuxième profil, certains auteurs mentionnent un lien entre engagement et prise de risque (Green, 1994;Holland et al, 1992;Rosenthal, Gifford et Moore, 1998) ou entre sentiment amoureux et prise de risque (Inf'OMEGA, 1998. La prise de risque peut alors être vue comme un témoignage de confiance, d'engagement et de rapprochement (van der Straten et al, 1998;Green, 1994;VanDevanter et al, 1999). Il y a donc la nécessité de tenir compte de ces contextes dans la prévention et d'élargir notre vision des variables la composant ainsi que le permet l'interactionnisme symbolique.…”