Infected Lives: A Heideggerian Phenomenological Study of Young African American Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Women

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection continues to be a significant health concern for African American women, as they comprise 64% of HIV-positive women in the US. The purpose of this Heideggerian phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of young African American HIV infected women, the meaning of spirituality in their lives, and how they engaged in self-care practices to manage their disease. One pattern, Infected Lives, and four themes, Living Alone with HIV, Living with Unresolved Conflicts, Living with Multiple Layers of Betrayal, and Living in the Everydayness of HIV were developed, which portray the very complex experiences of young African American women living with HIV infection. They have been abandoned, betrayed and discriminated against in their interpersonal and social systems. They often faced myriad, unresolved conflicts. They were coping with unrelenting depression and other physical symptoms. Implications for education, practice, policy and research are discussed.