“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic
An HIV diagnosis may be associated with severe emotional and psychological distress, which can contribute to delays in care or poor self-management. Few studies have explored the emotional, psychological, and psychosocial impacts of an HIV diagnosis on women in low-resource settings. We conducted in...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2325958219849042 |
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doaj-74591a10159842f791c2274d09490d042020-11-25T03:43:39ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care2325-95822019-05-011810.1177/2325958219849042“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican RepublicDenise Diaz Payán PhD, MPP0Kathryn Pitkin Derose PhD, MPH1María Altagracia Fulcar RD, MSC2Hugo Farías MA3Kartika Palar PhD4 RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA United Nations World Food Programme, Dominican Republic Country Office, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic United Nations World Food Programme, Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Panamá, Dominican Republic School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USAAn HIV diagnosis may be associated with severe emotional and psychological distress, which can contribute to delays in care or poor self-management. Few studies have explored the emotional, psychological, and psychosocial impacts of an HIV diagnosis on women in low-resource settings. We conducted in-depth interviews with 30 women living with HIV in the Dominican Republic. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the biographical disruption framework. Three disruption phases emerged (impacts of a diagnosis, postdiagnosis turning points, and integration). Nearly all respondents described the news as deeply distressful and feelings of depression and loss of self-worth were common. Several reported struggling with the decision to disclose—worrying about stigma. Postdiagnosis turning points consisted of a focus on survival and motherhood; social support (family members, friends, HIV community) promoted integration. The findings suggest a need for psychological resources and social support interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of an HIV diagnosis.https://doi.org/10.1177/2325958219849042 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Denise Diaz Payán PhD, MPP Kathryn Pitkin Derose PhD, MPH María Altagracia Fulcar RD, MSC Hugo Farías MA Kartika Palar PhD |
spellingShingle |
Denise Diaz Payán PhD, MPP Kathryn Pitkin Derose PhD, MPH María Altagracia Fulcar RD, MSC Hugo Farías MA Kartika Palar PhD “It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care |
author_facet |
Denise Diaz Payán PhD, MPP Kathryn Pitkin Derose PhD, MPH María Altagracia Fulcar RD, MSC Hugo Farías MA Kartika Palar PhD |
author_sort |
Denise Diaz Payán PhD, MPP |
title |
“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic |
title_short |
“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic |
title_full |
“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic |
title_fullStr |
“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic |
title_full_unstemmed |
“It Was as Though My Spirit Left, Like They Killed Me”: The Disruptive Impact of an HIV-Positive Diagnosis among Women in the Dominican Republic |
title_sort |
“it was as though my spirit left, like they killed me”: the disruptive impact of an hiv-positive diagnosis among women in the dominican republic |
publisher |
SAGE Publishing |
series |
Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care |
issn |
2325-9582 |
publishDate |
2019-05-01 |
description |
An HIV diagnosis may be associated with severe emotional and psychological distress, which can contribute to delays in care or poor self-management. Few studies have explored the emotional, psychological, and psychosocial impacts of an HIV diagnosis on women in low-resource settings. We conducted in-depth interviews with 30 women living with HIV in the Dominican Republic. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the biographical disruption framework. Three disruption phases emerged (impacts of a diagnosis, postdiagnosis turning points, and integration). Nearly all respondents described the news as deeply distressful and feelings of depression and loss of self-worth were common. Several reported struggling with the decision to disclose—worrying about stigma. Postdiagnosis turning points consisted of a focus on survival and motherhood; social support (family members, friends, HIV community) promoted integration. The findings suggest a need for psychological resources and social support interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of an HIV diagnosis. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1177/2325958219849042 |
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