The Context and Experience of Becoming HIV Infected for Zimbabwean Women: Unheard Voices Revealed

Zimbabwean women are at high risk for HIV infection but often are not the focus of inquiry unless they are participants in controlled trials. In this phenomenological study, we interviewed 17 women living with advanced HIV infection to better understand their experiences and the aftermath of being diagnosed with HIV. Open-ended interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed. Two themes (living with suspicion of HIV infection and sensing the engulfing anguish of being HIV infected) emerged and were found to reflect the essence of the phenomena. Even though the women had suspected being HIV infected from internal and external cues, a confirmed diagnosis threw them into a state of anguish prompted by the possibility of dying from a disease they “did not deserve.” When designing prevention and treatment interventions, for the interventions to be effective, clinicians working with this population should consider the complexity of issues involved.