Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

SAGETRACK

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Qualitative Health Research
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
1049732309333272v1
19/5/593    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Stevens, P. E.
Right arrow Articles by Hildebrandt, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Stevens, P. E.
Right arrow Articles by Hildebrandt, E.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Pill Taking From the Perspective of HIV-Infected Women Who Are Vulnerable to Antiretroviral Treatment Failure

Patricia E. Stevens

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Eugenie Hildebrandt

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

We conducted this longitudinal qualitative study to gain in-depth understanding of HIV-infected women's experiences with antiretroviral (ARV) regimens, exploring from their perspective what medication taking was like for them and what it meant in the context of their everyday lives. We engaged 55 participants over a 2-year period in 10 narrative-eliciting interviews. From their medication stories, we were able to track a 2-year prospective pattern of self-reported adherence for each individual who was prescribed ARVs. In this article we focus on the medication experiences of a subsample of 14 women who persistently had difficulties taking ARVs as prescribed, detailing their descriptions and evaluations of pill taking. Results suggest that rather than judging themselves harshly for nonadherence, they perceived their at-odds pill taking to be personally meaningful and accomplished for good purpose. Their rationales provide insights for more nuanced, empowerment-based interventions for individuals who are vulnerable to ARV treatment failure.

Key Words: adherence • HIV/AIDS • interviews • longitudinal studies • medication • narrative methods • stigma • women's health

This version was published on May 1, 2009

Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 19, No. 5, 593-604 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1049732309333272


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?