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The Experience of Antiretroviral Treatment for Black West African Women who are HIV Positive and Living in London: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

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Abstract

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) offers a powerful intervention in HIV but effectiveness can be compromised by inadequate adherence. This paper is a detailed examination of the experience of medication in a purposively selected group of people living with HIV. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 HIV positive, West African women of black heritage living in London, UK. This group was of interest since it is the second largest group affected by HIV in the UK. Interviews were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis, an idiographic, experiential, qualitative approach. The paper details the women’s negative experience of treatment. ART can be considered difficult and unrelenting and may be disconnected from the women’s sense of health or illness. Participants’ social context often exacerbated the difficulties. Some reported an improvement in their feelings about the medication over time. These findings point to some intrinsic and social motivators which could act as spurs to adherence.

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Notes

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in the UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK

    Johanna Spiers & Jonathan A. Smith

  2. Practice & Policy, School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK

    Elizabeth Poliquin & Rob Horne

  3. The Centre for the Study of Sexual Health and HIV, Homerton University Hospital, London, UK

    Jane Anderson

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  1. Johanna Spiers
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  2. Jonathan A. Smith
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  4. Jane Anderson
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  5. Rob Horne
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Correspondence to Johanna Spiers.

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Spiers, J., Smith, J.A., Poliquin, E. et al. The Experience of Antiretroviral Treatment for Black West African Women who are HIV Positive and Living in London: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. AIDS Behav 20, 2151–2163 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1274-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1274-9

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