Psychological and Social Difficulties of Adolescents Living With HIV: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the psychological and social difficulties that are experienced by adolescents living with HIV. Eight youth (ages 17 to 21) participated in a semi-structured interview aimed at eliciting their personal stories and the difficulties they encounter due to their HIV status. Content analysis of the interviews revealed 4 themes of difficulties across the participants: disclosing their status to others, medication adherence, relationships, and psychological burden. The disclosure of status category encompasses the difficulties that the participants had in disclosing their HIV status to other people, including the actual disclosure scenario and the ensuing ramifications. The medical adherence category includes participants' experiences with the numerous types of medication that they take for HIV, the difficult medication schedules they must follow, and the meaning of these medications to them. The relationship category reflects the difficulties these youth have experienced in their social and emotional relationships with friends, families, and intimate partners. Finally, the psychological burden category represents some of the psychological manifestations of HIV, including stress and negative affect. The results from this study imply that there are still tremendous difficulties and obstacles for individuals living with HIV to overcome. Understanding these difficulties is the first step toward making changes, followed by clinical interventions and prevention methods designed for adolescent populations.