Living Day by Day The Meaning of Living With HIV/AIDS Among Women in Lebanon

• Published in: Global qualitative nursing research Vol. 3; p. 2333393616650082
• Main Authors: Kaplan, Rachel L., Khoury, Cynthia El, Field, Emily R. S., Mokhbat, Jacques
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-01-2016
• Subjects: Lebanon; HIV/AIDS; stigma; Middle East, Middle Eastern people; women’s health; illness and disease, social construction
• ISSN: 2333-3936; 2333-3936
• DOI: 10.1177/2333393616650082

We examined the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in Lebanon. Ten women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) described their experiences via semistructured in-depth interviews. They navigated a process of HIV diagnosis acceptance that incorporated six overlapping elements: receiving the news, accessing care, starting treatment, navigating disclosure decisions, negotiating stigma, and maintaining stability. Through these elements, we provide a framework for understanding three major themes that were constructed during data analysis: Stand by my side: Decisions of disclosure; Being “sick” and feeling “normal”: Interacting with self, others, and society; and Living day by day: focusing on the present. We contribute to the existing literature by providing a theoretical framework for understanding the process of diagnosis and sero-status acceptance among WLWHA. This was the first study of its kind to examine the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in a Middle Eastern country.