Long-Term HIV/AIDS Survivors: Coping Strategies and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a clearer understanding of the challenges and needs of long-term HIV=AIDS survivors living in rural and semirural areas, as well as to explore what factors and resources may be related to more effective coping. Eleven long-term HIV=AIDS survivors were invited to participate in this research through an AIDS service organization working in rural= semirural California towns. Each participant was interviewed using structured questions. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Spirituality, having a sense of control, and social support were associated with more positive perceptions. Perceiving life as ''better'' or ''worse'' seemed unrelated to prediagnostic functioning for the majority of the participants. Coping seemed to have more to do with individual reactions than to actual life circumstances, health, or financial status. Interestingly, some of the most ill with the most limited incomes expressed the most optimistic perceptions of their lives. Similarly, while it was expected that persons living in rural areas would have more difficulties, the majority of our participants did not seem to perceive living in rural or semirural areas as barriers to services. A surprising finding was the number of participants who noted the stigma of disability related poverty as being more important than the stigma of having HIV=AIDS, being a homosexual, or having a mental illness.The authors would like to thank the participants for sharing their experiences. To the larger population of persons living with HIV=AIDS, we applaud your courage and inspiration to persevere despite physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and economic challenges.

Beyond mere pill taking: SMS reminders for HIV treatment adherence delivered to mobile phones of clients in a community support network in Australia

“…In particular, despite solid commitment to their HIV medications, the overwhelmingly positive responses from the interviewees about the SMS reminder campaign highlight the intervention's broader impact beyond HIV medication adherence. Therefore, this study underscores the urgency to shift the much compartmentalised focus on ART adherence support alone to the much neglected synergy between chronic disease self-management and stigma reduction (Gannon & Stacciarini, 2016;Grov et al, 2010;Katz et al, 2013;Sankar et al, 2011;Stowers Johansen & Kohli, 2012).…”

“…Issues broader than HIV were frequently raised in the interviews, including stigma and discrimination from a range of sources, loneliness resulting from social isolation and exclusion, recurrent depression, ageing and multiple HIV‐ and non‐HIV‐related disabilities. These are commonly reported experiences by older people with HIV and those who have lived with HIV for a long time (Grov, Golub, Parsons, Brennan, & Karpiak, ; Sankar, Nevedal, Neufeld, Berry, & Luborsky, ; Stowers Johansen & Kohli, ). Although most felt greatly supported by their medical care teams, the daily task of taking medication was a solitary responsibility, with the exception of one participant (Group 2, P10, age 63) who received help with his dosing regimen from his personal carer.…”

“…These are commonly reported experiences by older people with HIV and those who have lived with HIV for a long time (Grov, Golub, Parsons, Brennan, & Karpiak, 2010;Sankar, Nevedal, Neufeld, Berry, & Luborsky, 2011;Stowers Johansen & Kohli, 2012). Although most felt greatly supported by their medical care teams, the daily task of taking medication was a solitary responsibility, with the exception of one participant (Group 2, P10, age 63) who received help with his dosing regimen from his personal carer.…”

Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public health-care setting

“…Coping is an important concept in the field of chronic illness as it allows health-care practitioners to gauge the impact of a disease on patients. For this reason, coping has been investigated in relation to a number of chronic illnesses such as HIV (Stowers Johansen and Kohli, 2012), diabetes (Collins et al, 2009), coeliac disease (Jacobsson et al, 2012) and rheumatoid arthritis (Ramjeet et al, 2008). Among women, coping research has extended to areas such as coping with infertility (Lee et al, 2010), ovarian cancer (Price et al, 2013) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (Benson et al, 2010).…”

HIV as Chronic Illness: Caregiving and Social Networks in a Vulnerable Population

“…Empirical evidence has suggested that social support is beneficial for health (Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2009). In particular, positive coping by PLWH has been associated with good social support (Stowers-Johansen & Kohli, 2012).…”