Psychological and Spiritual Growth in Women Living with HIV

Abstract

Women living with HIV and AIDS face tremendous obstacles to wellness, yet many find ways to use their experience of HIV as a vehicle for psychological and spiritual growth. A qualitative study was conducted to better understand this process. Thirty-four women living with various stages of HIV were interviewed. Five components were found to be important in their psychological and spiritual growth: reckoning with death, life affirmation, creation of meaning, self-affirmation, and redefining relationships. Implications for social work practice and future research are discussed.