“When I went to camp, it made me free”: A longitudinal qualitative study of a residential intervention for adolescents living with HIV in the UK

Six main themes were identified: connecting with new friends and feeling less alone; gaining HIV knowledge and learning about living with HIV; developing a positive self-image; communicating more purposefully; becoming more autonomous; and a desire to engage further with the HIV community. The majority of these themes were reported both at the six week and six month follow-up points. Participants felt that the intervention had increased their confidence, decreased their anxiety about sharing their HIV status and widened their support network. Practice and research implications are outlined.