Pursuing Treatment and Moral Worth: HIV-Infected Women in a Northern Province of Vietnam Living With Antiretroviral Therapy

Nam Thi Thu Nguyen*, Vibeke Rasch, Ib Christian Bygbjerg, Hanne Overgaard Mogensen

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

4 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

There is a need to understand how social and cultural expectations of being a woman shape the challenges women face when trying to access antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to continue the treatment over time. Based on a 7-month prospective study of 15 HIV-infected women, the particular challenges met by these women in northern Vietnam are discussed in this article. We argued that, by taking ART to maintain their health and to fulfill their responsibilities to family and community, the women managed to reclaim the " moral worth" they had lost as a result of having HIV infection. At the same time, certain social and economic contingencies related to ART made it difficult for the women to uphold this moral position. The study demonstrated the importance of understanding the meanings and implications of ART in specific social contexts to understand how social support structures could be established to ensure treatment continuation.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftJournal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Vol/bind23
Udgave nummer4
Sider (fra-til)339-349
Antal sider11
ISSN1055-3290
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 1 jul. 2012

Citationsformater