My main focus of interest in this dissertation is to evaluate the relationship between known risk factor for HIV and HIV testing behavior, with a particular interest in women. Utilizing data from the National Survey of Family Growth, I conduct both descriptive and logistic regression analysis to evaluate this relationship. In addition to examining this relationship for women overall, I also evaluate the differences between White and Minority women, and compare and contrast this relationship for men versus women. In this dissertation, I did find some evidence to indicate that women with factors that put them at risk for HIV are more likely to be tested than are women without risk, however the strength of this relationship differed across types of risk factors. Drug use was consistently stronger in predicting the likelihood of testing than were sexual risk factors, indicating a ?lag? in public health perception of risk due to heterosexual risk factors. I also found that African-American women had significantly higher prevalence of risk than did White women, although no difference was found in the relationship between risk and testing. Finally, sexual risk factors were a substantially stronger predictor of testing for men than it was for women. The findings reported in this dissertation have the potential for significant public health implications and indicate the need for further policies that target the populations identified in this research. While the evidence in this dissertation and elsewhere does suggest that these efforts have been successful for homosexual men and drug users, and marginally successful for women at risk due to heterosexual behavior, it is important that efforts that target women, especially African-American women, are increased.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from file title page. Lisa Armistead, committee chair; Gregory Jurkovic, Sarah Cook, Marci Culley, committee members. Electronic text (67 p. : col. ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Jan. 9, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-67).

Thesis (M.A. (Health Social Science))--Mahidol University, 2006. / LICL has E-Thesis 0012 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Dept. of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Over 60% of those living with HIV/AIDS are women, the majority of them in their sexual and reproductive years (UNAIDS, 2006). With antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, most of them are living longer and healthier to engage in sexual and reproductive activities (WHO, 2006). This study explored the sexual and reproductive decisions and experiences of women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) in Abuja, Nigeria. Only those who became pregnant and had a child after being diagnosed with HIV participated in the study. The study was an interview based qualitative research. The design of the interview guide was informed by the PEN-3 Model (Airhihenbuwa, 1995). A combination of purposive and snowball sampling technique was used to select 17 WLWHA aged between 26 and 41. Most of them had limited education, only the 3 of them with post secondary education had professional jobs; the rest are either housewives or petty traders. Most of the women had reduced sexual desire but felt compelled to acquiesce to their husband’s sexual demands out of cultural and religious sense of duty, fear that he would have sex outside marriage and/or beat them. While a few used condoms, most either did not use condom or used it inconsistently. Condoms were used mainly to prevent re-infection with another strain of HIV or to prevent infecting a negative partner. Reason for non use of condom includes reduced sexual pleasure with condoms, belief that condoms are used not for wives and that being on ARV precludes the need to use condom. Often, condom negotiation leads to violence. Most of the women still wanted more children and did not use contraceptives. Among the few who used contraceptives, condoms, hormone injections, intrauterine device (IUD) and tubal ligation are their methods of choice. The women chose to have babies to secure their marriage, fulfill maternal instinct and to “leave something behind”. Their decisions were informed by the belief that ARV would keep them alive, while Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCTC) programs would prevent infection to their babies. To conceive, they had unprotected sex during ovulation. Two serodiscordant couples used syringes to inseminate. Most of them had experienced obstetric challenges including infertility, miscarriages, preterm births, and infant deaths. Most of the women bottle-fed to prevent infecting their babies, however they were under tremendous pressure to breastfeed due to the cultural value attached to breastfeeding. Women living with HIV/AIDS in Abuja Nigeria, had unmet sexual and reproductive health needs. Their sexual and reproductive decisions were influenced by their individual circumstances, including their level of education, poverty, cultural and family influences, partner’s HIV status, stigma and discrimination, and access to PMTCT and ARV programs. To meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of WLWHA, program planners and policy makers should take these factors into consideration and ensure that programs are comprehensive and integrated.

Objective(s): The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of fatigue on quality of life (QOL), physical function, and participation in social, recreational, and daily living activities (ADLs) in women living with HIV. Methods: HIV-infected women (n=15; age 44±8 years) were recruited from the Clinical Immunological Outpatient Clinic (CIOC) and the HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS) in Kingston. Four questionnaires were completed to obtain information on demographics, fatigue (HIV-Related Fatigue Scale, HRFS), QOL (Medical Outcomes Survey HIV Healthy Survey (MOS-HIV), and valued social, recreational and daily living activities. Participants then performed the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) to assess their physical function. Assessments were conducted in the CIOC or in a gymnasium at another location. Results: Mean length of HIV infection was 12±5 years and 14 of the 15 women were on anti-retroviral therapy. Seven of the 15 women did not have significant issues with fatigue on the HRFS. The other 8 reported that fatigue severely interfered with ADLs, socialization and mental functioning. QOL scores were significantly lower in the fatigued group compared with the non-fatigued group in 8 of 11 sub-scales of the MOS-HIV; the values being approximately 50% of those in the non-fatigued group. Socializing with friends, walking, grocery shopping and cleaning were listed as activities in which participants experienced limitations. No significant differences were found between the fatigued and non-fatigued groups for the distance walked in the 6MWT or for the percent of predicted distance walked. Conclusions: Half of the women with HIV in this study reported that fatigue interfered with daily functioning and participation in day to day activities, impacting their QOL. These findings suggest that fatigue can be a major issue impacting QOL in this population; therefore, fatigue reduction should be one of the priorities of HIV-related medical management. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2013-08-29 13:51:52.993

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as events related to illness act as traumatic stressors. This study tested some basic hypotheses of Sewell and Cromwell's personal construct model of PTSD in HIV+ women both with and without diagnoses of PTSD. Trauma-related constructs of HIV+ women with PTSD with HIV+ non-PTSD controls at varying stages of illness were compared. The elaboration, rankings, and valence of trauma-related constructs were examined using the Life Events Repertory Grid (LERG) procedure. Findings provided evidence that a clinical diagnosis of PTSD in women was not associated with the degree of construct elaboration. These findings may imply a qualitative difference in cognitive processing of social stressors and violent stressors.

<p>This study focuses on socio-cultural issues, which affect Kavango women&rsquo / s decision to participate in the PMTCT programme. It investigates the treatment methods used by HIV-positive pregnant women for themselves and their unborn babies, neonatally, during pregnancy and after delivery, particularly in relation to the prevention of transmission of HIV. The thesis further investigates whether women choose alternative services such as traditional healers for medical attention during pregnancy, birth and post-natally. The research aims to establish and describe the role of local notions and practices concerning anti-retrovirals on the aforementioned programme. Ethnographic and thus qualitative research methods were used to gather and analyze data. I spent three months working as a nurse in two health facilities that offer PMTCT in Rundu, Kavango. I also held semi-structured and open-ended interviews, formal and informal discussions, formal and informal focus groups with nurses, community counselors, pregnant women, women who had recently given birth in the health care facility and traditional health care practitioners. In the case of the latter, I utilized narratives of healing to understand their perception of HIV/AIDS, their beliefs and practices as well as their healing methods. Furthermore, I employed other informal conversations outside the formal research participants. The study shows that there is a paucity of partner involvement and in some cases women have to first seek permission from their partner before enrolling into the programme. My research findings further indicate that women utilized various traditional herbal medicines for themselves and their babies as part of their cultural beliefs and practices. It was evident that some of these, such as Likuki, affect women&rsquo / s participation in and adherence to the protocols of the PMTCT programme. </p>

<p>This study focuses on socio-cultural issues, which affect Kavango women&rsquo / s decision to participate in the PMTCT programme. It investigates the treatment methods used by HIV-positive pregnant women for themselves and their unborn babies, neonatally, during pregnancy and after delivery, particularly in relation to the prevention of transmission of HIV. The thesis further investigates whether women choose alternative services such as traditional healers for medical attention during pregnancy, birth and post-natally. The research aims to establish and describe the role of local notions and practices concerning anti-retrovirals on the aforementioned programme. Ethnographic and thus qualitative research methods were used to gather and analyze data. I spent three months working as a nurse in two health facilities that offer PMTCT in Rundu, Kavango. I also held semi-structured and open-ended interviews, formal and informal discussions, formal and informal focus groups with nurses, community counselors, pregnant women, women who had recently given birth in the health care facility and traditional health care practitioners. In the case of the latter, I utilized narratives of healing to understand their perception of HIV/AIDS, their beliefs and practices as well as their healing methods. Furthermore, I employed other informal conversations outside the formal research participants. The study shows that there is a paucity of partner involvement and in some cases women have to first seek permission from their partner before enrolling into the programme. My research findings further indicate that women utilized various traditional herbal medicines for themselves and their babies as part of their cultural beliefs and practices. It was evident that some of these, such as Likuki, affect women&rsquo / s participation in and adherence to the protocols of the PMTCT programme. </p>

This project is part of a larger study of the Serithi project in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with three hundred and seventeen HIV positive women from disadvantaged locations of Tshwane. In this study, the focus is on women’s experiences of an HIV positive diagnosis and the stigma associated with HIV and their level of disclosure. An analysis was made to whom they disclose, why they choose to disclose and the reaction of the people disclosed to, as well as reasons some people decided not to disclose. Theoretically, the Social Psychology approach was used to provide a theoretical framework as it attempts to understand the relationship between individuals, groups, and behaviour, invariably understanding the relationship between HIV related stigma experienced and the levels of disclosure of the women. As the aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of HIV related stigma and disclosure encountered by South African HIV positive women, a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures was used. It was established from the research results that upon diagnosis, most women experience negative emotions and thoughts including shock, fear of death, sadness, anger, self-blame and denial. These reactions, however, over time seem to fluctuate and positive reactions such as acceptance of the HIV positive diagnosis and positive thinking come to the fore. Of the three hundred and seventeen respondents used in this study, only one hundred and ninety three women (61%) disclosed their HIV status to at least one person, being either partners (44%), family members (16%), parents (12%), friends (11%), in-laws (1,5%), and or people at work of which less than one percent of the women disclosed to, while 124 (39%) of the women did not disclose to anyone with the exception of the research assistants involved in this study. The issue of disclosure was analysed, and the most people disclosed to were partners, family members and parents. The women stated that it was easy for them to disclose to these people because they knew that they would not be judged and ridiculed. Instead, they felt assured that they would receive unconditional acceptance and support upon disclosure. Reasons for not disclosing included the fear of discrimination, rejection and blame, lack of trust and a supportive relationship. HIV related stigma was assessed through three different types of stigma, namely; 1) Experienced personal stigma (expectations of stigmatised individuals of how others will react to their condition), 2) Perceived community stigma (how the respondents think most people in the community feel and react towards HIV) and 3) Enacted stigma (the actual experiences of discriminatory acts due to their HIV positive status). From these assessments, it was established that respondents perceive community stigma to be the most prevalent and more negative than felt or personal stigma and enacted stigma, which was the least negative. Correlations between the various measures of stigma and disclosure showed that the women’s decision to disclose their HIV status is not only related to their stigma scores. Levels of personal stigma only played a role in disclosure to family members and friends and not in disclosure to partners. Perceived community stigma, which was high, did not have an impact on the level of disclosure. Therefore, the decision to disclose one’s HIV status is not totally influenced or dependent on HIV related stigma because other variables such as the quality of relationships also play a role. This raises the opportunity for further research as to what other aspects may have an impact on the issue of disclosure of one’s HIV positive status. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted