Women's experiences with HIV/AIDS: mending fractured selves

Abstract

* Acknowledgments * Chapter 1. Introduction * Disruption and Legitimation: Hillary * Problematic Repair Strategies: Denise * Disruption and Nonrepair: Stephanie * HIV/AIDS As a Gender Issue * Analytic Framework: Biographical Disruption and HIV/AIDS * Sample and Methodology * Overview of This Book * Chapter 2. Feeling Like Nothing: Receiving an Diagnosis and Initial Disruption * Biographical Disruption Among Women with HIV/AIDS * Hopelessness * Disbelief * Social Withdrawal * Placing Blame * Putting Oneself Last * Assigning Meaning and Sense of Self * Women and Disruption * Chapter 3. Living with Infection: The Impact of Illness on Everyday Life * Gender and the Psychosocial Impact of Infection * Adaptive Tasks for Women with HIV/AIDS * The Perceived Significance of Gender * Women's Unique Experiences and Needs * Chapter 4. Towards Legitimation: Coping with HIV/AIDS * Coping with HIV/AIDS: A Brief Review of the Literature * Women's Ways of Coping: Repairing Disrupted Biographies * Going Public and Becoming an Activist * Support Groups * Spirituality * Establishing Positive Lifestyles * Avoidance * Legitimation and Sense of Self * Chapter 5. Social Support: The Role of Informal Networks in Women's Lives * Social Support and HIV/AIDS * Familial Support Networks * Problematic Support * Keeping the Secret: Untapped Support Networks and Self-Protection * Social Support and Illness Progression: Speculating on the Likelihood of Future Support * Chapter 6. Women As Carers: The Dual Challenge of Caregiving and Living with Infection * Mothering * Planning for the Future: Child Care and Guardianship * Caring for Adults with HIV/AIDS * The Consequences of Caring * Chapter 7. Multiple Assaults on Self: The Relative Impact of HIV/AIDS on Women's Lives * I'm Used to Being Ate Up Anyway * Nothing Compares to HIV * The Relative Impact of Assaults * Chapter 8. Disruption and Repair: Lessons from Women's Illness Experiences * The Strengths and Weaknesses of Women's Coping * Formal Care and Women with Infection * Empowerment and Social Change * Experiencing Illness: Extending HIV-Positive Women's Experiences to Other Populations * Appendix: Sample Demographic Summary * References * Index